fifth year maintenance report - AACSB - The University of Texas at ...

presented to the college’s Latino Financial Issues (LFI) program in Spring 2008. Promotingwealth and asset building among Latinos is the goal of the LFI program. The year-longintegrated academic and service learning program exposes students in multidisciplinary fieldsto community economic development, financial literacy and entrepreneurship.• Business students are participating in several innovative service learning projects.Accounting students, working in collaboration with the university’s Small BusinessDevelopment Center, are providing accounting consulting services for small businesses inSan Antonio. Since the program’s inception, the students have amassed 10,000 hours ofservice. Accounting students are also providing tax preparation assistance to low-incomefamilies through the Volunteers in Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Students in the LatinoFinancial Issues program work with middle school students from a high-risk inner city schoolon the issues of financial literacy and mentoring. The students conclude the program with avisit to UTSA to understand the financial value of obtaining a college degree. Finally, realestate students partner with Habitat for Humanity to help build houses for those in need in thearea. The students typically complete 300 hours of community service each semester.• The college has created a new Financial Studies Center for business students. The centerfeatures two components: a financial trading lab that allows students and faculty toparticipate in the gathering and analysis of live, real-time financial data as well as a financialliteracy center to educate students and the community on the intricacies of financial markets.The center is used by students of all levels and is the home for the Investment Society and theFinancial Management Association.• The College of Business “Briefcase Brigade,” a group of faculty, staff, students and alumnihas participated in the annual San Antonio Battle of Flowers Parade each year since the lastreview. The Battle of Flowers Parade is the second largest daytime parade in the UnitedStates and regularly attracts crowds of over 300,000. The “Brigade” has won first place ineach of the four years it has participated (2008-2011). The college has received significant,positive community and media exposure from this activity, which has become a venue forbonding among students, faculty and administrators.International Programs• In support of university and college goals related to globalization, the Office of InternationalEngagement supports international business degree programs, visiting scholars, globalbusiness skills research, study abroad and exchange opportunities and coordinates specialimmersion programs for the College of Business. International experiences are designed toprovide opportunities for the college’s students to learn about foreign business, delve intointernational business projects and to experience new cultures.• Since the last AACSB International maintenance review the office has increased its emphasison innovative immersion and short-course (for credit) programming for both undergraduateand graduate students. Last summer 68 students participated in immersions to the CanaryIslands, Chile, China, Italy, Finland, Singapore/Vietnam, and Spain. The college alsoestablished an International Seminar Series, which is an innovative academic seminarprogram taught by international visiting faculty. The one-credit hour course is taught over theweekend in a concentrated format. The seminars allow business students to hear perspectiveson an array of international topics.47