Five Predictions for 2019

Because I just didn’t have the time to come up with 10 predictions this year…

1. UCF plays Alabama on Jan. 19: After UCF beats LSU and Bama downs Clemson, there is just too much money left on the table not to have the last two unbeaten CFB teams square off. No, it won’t happen, but UCF will beat LSU, and the cries for an expanded playoff will get louder. Much louder.

2. Integrated Business will have the best placement rate of any major in the college: Thanks in part to a very strong group of dedicated advisory board members and faculty who believe in this program, it’s already No. 2 behind Accounting in employability. Honestly, I don’t think it will surpass Accounting, but I do think we have shown that the concept works, that employers want students with these skill sets and that the Master’s version of this program, which starts Fall 2019, will draw a lot of undergraduate non-business students wanting to invest in their career readiness.

3. Blockchain develops a killer app that takes it mainstream: I stole this prediction from somewhere and frankly I’m not sure exactly what it means, but everybody knows you’re product sells more with the right branded app. Dr. Eric Boyd told us so at our last Dean’s Speaker Series this fall. Sean Snaith will give you his take on the economy for 2019 at the next Dean’s Speaker Series on Friday, Jan. 25. Click here to register.

4. Our Professional Sales Program will win another national championship: We already have two rings. This year’s group of students had a very strong fall. They just seem poised to win that third title. Besides, Dr. Bill Steiger is the Nick Saban of sales coaches. Frankly, every student in the college should have a sales course even the accountants, because as Bill says, “Everybody is in sales.”

5. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” will get a remake this year: Our 2019 College of Business Hall of Fame will be so successful that Hollywood will decide to do a remake — Lily Collins stars. OK, that prediction is a little bold, but my Tiffany works best with big goals and she usually exceeds her target. You can help her out by joining us Feb. 12 at Rosen Shingle Creek. Register by clicking here. (I told you everyone is in sales, even me.)

Happy New Year. Go Knights. Charge On!

How many students got into their major for Spring

A total of 585 BSBA students matriculated into their major of choice for Spring 2019.

Integrated Business 160

Finance 155

Accounting 96

Marketing 72

Management 53

Economics. 32

Real Estate. 17

These numbers don’t reflect about 100 students who, over the next few weeks, will gain admittance into a different major than they had hoped. These 585 students were designated pre-majors at the beginning of the Fall semester. The pattern has become pretty standard over the past few years with Integrated Business and Finance having the most students and Real Estate and Economics the fewest.

Congratulations to all of these students. Happy Holidays and Charge On into your major in 2019!

Did you ever wonder if something is a thing?

That’s the idea behind our podcast. We explore whether an alleged trend or innovation is really a thing– something people should know about– or is just hype. If you haven’t heard it, you can listen by clicking here.

Last fall, we explored Esports, Bitcoin, Millennials, Ghosting on the Job Market, Triple Entry Accounting, The Stare Down Kid, Lean Start Up, Backyard Chickens, Fake News, Behavioral Ethics and Black Friday. What’s next? We’re not sure. So, we are seeking your help. Take a second and complete our quick poll. You can also recommend a topic, we haven’t thought about. Thanks for participating and if you like the show, give us a rating on iTunes, it helps us build awareness for the show.

<noscript><a href=”https://poll.fm/10192125″>What three topics would most interest you in a future podcast?</a></noscript>

Charge On New Knights

Every semester at UCF we send a group of newly-minted Knights into the world to do battle.   Like our student body as a whole, our Ambassadors arrive here from very different paths.  They have different expectations about what they want from a college experience and different aspirations about where they want to go.  The experience of being an Ambassador changes them and gives them a different perspective as they leave us to embrace their next challenge.  Before they go, Jennifer and I want to share some observations on the five students that are graduating Friday.

Jordan Less –  Both Jennifer and I have seen a great deal of growth with Jordan.  Things didn’t always come easy for him as a student but he persevered and has reached his goal of graduating with an Accounting degree.  Next semester he starts the MSA program.   We have no doubt that he will make a fine CPA. Jordan has a great deal of pride in the Ambassador program and believes in the culture of engagement we have here in the College.  He rose to be chair of the group this semester and has served for two years on the committee charge with recruiting the next group of Ambassadors.  During new ambassadors interviews this semester, he was asked what he likes most about the program and he said, “it’s fun, I honestly enjoy coming to each meeting and it was never a burden to serve.  This group has become my friends”.

Michael Silverman – Most student enjoy the Ambassador program because they want to make an impact. All you really need to know about Micheal, can be summed up in one story Jennifer shared with me:  During The Invitational– an event where students meet potential employers,  Micheal gave up time to network, so that he could personally escort a blind student around to meet employers.  The student received a job and is doing exceptionally well.   Michael is going into real estate and would like to be an entrepreneur…   There may be few houses to flip as he begins his journey.

Valerie Chidester – Jennifer describes Valerie as her strong and steady ambassador.  She stepped outside her comfort zone and rose to every occasion we asked of her.  Valerie is accountable, coach-able,  hard-working and committed. She will be very valuable to any team.  We can’t wait to see where she begins her career, maybe marketing, possibly recruiting.

Jane Tarasionak – Jane took over Ambassador relations and kept the morale up in the group during a challenging semester with lots of different perspectives and points of view.  Accountability is important to her and she stayed on track and remained committed to the program.  Jane brought a lot of new ideas and was always there to offer recommendations or the student perspective.  She is keeping her next move a secret for now, but I’m sure we will know soon.

Geoffrey Amankwah – He made being an international student look easy.  He was our most dapper ambassador, who was always well-dressed for any occasion.  Geoffrey made himself available to mentor students and be a guide to students who are struggling to make their way at the college. Geoffrey,  “Got to the One”  with Verizon, after doing an internships there for the past 7 months, he was offered a full time position.

As these students go their separate ways, it is my hope that each of them carry with them the key lessons of being an ambassador–that diversity of perspective and experience in groups is a strength, that leading requires you to get out of your comfort zone, that the hardest thing to do as a leader is to get people to see the value in a future they have yet to experience, that being engaged always matters and that the friends you make in college are an asset you can draw on for the rest of your life.  Lastly, don’t forget to come back and visit us.  You are, and shall always be, a UCF Knight.  Charge On.

Resilience

We celebrated the end of our failure competition Friday. Congrats again to Michele Crockett for sharing her story and winning the competition.

The failure competition came about because of an interview on Mike & Mike with Gary Player, a well-known golfer. Mike Greenberg asked Player about the mindset of a champion. Player said something like this: “I would get up every morning look in the mirror and tell myself that I would make some bad shots today. And that some of those bad shots would happen when Tiger Woods was sinking a birdie and everyone was cheering.” He went on to explain that he did this because, then when the bad shots actually happened, they were no big deal. He expected them and his recovery from the bad shot was much better. I thought this was genius.

Saturday night at Spectrum Stadium the Knights showed this same mentality. They made some bad shots in the first half. They gave up more yards than anyone had seen in a half of football. They couldn’t stop the run. They fumbled. And they were behind big. Without McKenzie, many people thought the streak had ended. They were wrong: The team did not panic in the face of adversity. They made some adjustments at halftime. They remained focused, knew what they could do and executed. They were, in a word, resilient– just like Gary Player and Michele Crockett.

So, if you are entering finals week having made a few bad shots this semester, take a lesson from your favorite football team.. Bad shots happen to everyone. Remain focused. Make some halftime adjustments in your game plan. Have confidence in what you can do and execute.