Center for Energy Studies
Earlier this year, Collins College of Business proudly introduced the Center for Energy Studies. Set to open this fall, the center results from a dynamic partnership with TU’s College of Engineering & Computer Science, College of Law, and Kendall College of Arts & Sciences. These esteemed institutions will assume integral responsibilities within the center’s operations. Eric Olson, associate professor of both finance and cyber studies, will guide the center with expertise and vision.
Discover Your Energy Pulse: At the Collins College of Business Center for Energy Studies, we are more than just a hub – we’re your bridge to the future of energy. Dive into the world where global politics meets energy economics, including the fascinating realm of rare earth minerals and our journey to cleaner energy sources. Collaborate with leading University of Tulsa scholars to shape trailblazing research and craft articles that resonate with today’s collegiate audience. Ignite your passion and be part of the energy conversation. If you want to participate in the discussion, email Eric Olson at eric-olson@utulsa.edu.
New CCB faculty
This fall, Cayman Seagraves, Ph.D., joins CCB faculty as an assistant professor of finance, teaching finance and real estate courses. Shubha Sharma, Ph.D., and Roary Snider, Ph.D., join as assistant professors of management, and Langtao Chen, Ph.D., joins as assistant professor of business information systems.
Faculty research
Faculty at Collins College of Business continue to publish timely research. An example is Assistant Professor of Business Analytics Kazim Topuz, who recently published research in ‘A’ rated journal Annals of Operations Research. The research is titled “Disentangling human trafficking types and the identification of pathways to forced labor and sex: an explainable analytics approach.”
The research attempts to understand the dark corners of human trafficking and is dedicated to Burma’s victims and Rohingyas. They aim to add to the academic dialogue and contribute meaningful societal impact in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The goal is to tackle poverty, inequality, and injustice through research. The research delves into the pervasive issues of human trafficking and modern-day slavery, shedding light on the intricacies of forced labor and forced sex as prevalent categories. By utilizing a comprehensive approach involving logistic regression, association rules analysis, and Bayesian Belief Networks, the study examines patterns within human trafficking. Leveraging one of the largest datasets available, the Counter-Trafficking Data Collective (CTDC), the research uncovers affirmative and challenging insights, offering a deeper understanding of the contributing factors to human trafficking. The study expands on existing findings and provides actionable recommendations for improved prevention strategies. Read the research.
Spring New York City trip
This spring, TU Collins College of Business finance students visited New York City with finance professors Tally Ferguson and Anila Madhan. The trip had two missions: first, to gain experiential learning by seeing the theory they learned in class applied in the world’s financial center; and secondly, to introduce Student Investment Fund (SIF) alum and business partners to TU students. They visited Francisco Yanez (’17) with JP Morgan and Thomas Shamet (’16) from Accenture. The students met SIF alumnus Max Boudreaux (’16) with RedBurn, who later judged the 2023 Spring SIF Smackdown competition. The finance students took over CCB’s Instagram page during their trip, sharing highlights from their UN trip, Bloomberg tour, and each company they visited. They enjoyed NY street food, views of the city from the high-rise buildings, and – of course – trips to Times Square and Central Park.
The success of this trip has led Professor Ferguson to arrange another trip to New York City for finance students in late September.
High school summer camps
CCB held two high school summer camps this summer, hosting more than 40 Tulsa-area high school students and many of their parents on campus.
The inaugural High School Entrepreneurship Camp was a wonderful week of learning, activities, and connecting with TU students and faculty. ACT House kicked off camp with a workshop facilitated by Maria Kim using their ACT founder assessment, where students learned about their founder archetypes (architect, creative, techie) and the value of creating founding teams with complementary strengths.
The students collaborated within six teams throughout the week, learning from talented TU faculty member Nathan Woolard about design thinking frameworks to identify problems, business models, storytelling, and prototyping canvas activities. Each student team selected a meaningful problem, identified solutions, and pitched their business concepts to family, TU students, faculty, and local news media in a competition for cash and scholarship prizes. The students identified solutions to tackle tough challenges, including veteran PTSD, clothing for neurodivergent teens, healthy lunches for kids, jewelry with safety tracking technology, elder home care, health, and fitness.
KOKI Fox23 Tulsa produced a news story and photo album featuring Entrepreneurship Camp attendees visiting local partners including Kitchen66, Mother Road Market, GitWit/19 Days, Atento Capital, Techstars, and 36 Degrees North. CCB will build upon this momentum and make it bigger and better every year!
The inaugural Finance and Investing Camp celebrated learning, growth, and collaboration. Throughout the week, participants learned the intricacies of financial valuation and investment, exploring concepts that ranged from the foundational to the complex. Guided by expert instructors and industry professionals, students learned to navigate the financial investing landscape. Bloomberg terminals and local computer access gave students the tools to interact with real-world financial data and deepen their understanding of financial concepts. Workshops and field trips provided firsthand experiences showing how theoretical knowledge translates into practical applications within the finance industry. The pinnacle of their camp experience was a competition that tested their skills and knowledge. Teams worked tirelessly to build risk-efficient investment portfolios and determine valuation ranges for publicly traded companies.