Fogelman College of Business and Economics
Fogelman Features - December 2025
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Drs. Carmen Astorne and PK Jain attended Robinhood’s Money Drills Conference
- Dr. Hui Hao was recently accepted for publication by JAIS
- April Mitchell adopted a new puppy
- Dr. Laura Alderson presented at the AECT International Conference
- Dr. Huigang Liang Awarded Multi-Year NIH Grant to Support Native American Youth Well-Being
- Dr. John Cicala published a new textbook
- Dr. James Vardaman’s son won the Germantown Pee-Wee Football League Championship
- Dr. Scott Vann is serving as a Senior Investigator on multi-institutional Presidential AI Challenge grant
- Dr. Mark Gillenson elected to ITEA Board of Directors
- UofM Headshots will be offered in January
drs. carmen astorne and pk jain attended robinhood’s money drills conference
Dr. Carmen Astorne, associate dean and professor of Economics, and Dr. PK Jain, professor
and chair of the Department of Finance, Insurance and Real Estate, recently represent
the University of Memphis at the Money Drills Conference in Washington, D.C., hosted
by Robinhood. They were joined by Ted White from UofM’s Athletic Department to lead
discussions on financial education and literacy for student-athletes in the ever-evolving
landscape of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).
“The visit to D.C. strengthened our relationship and reinforced Robinhood’s commitment
to educational outreach,” said PK.
The conference was a holistic view of the world of NIL. Attending were members of U.S. Congress to represent the lawmaking side of NIL, as well as former NFL quarterback and special guest Joe Montana to represent the side of the athlete. Carmen and PK represented the academic/administrative side of how institutions are taking care of students in terms of resources and financial literacy.
To read the complete article, click here.
dr. hui hao was recently accepted for publication by jais
Dr. Hui Hao, assistant professor in the Department of Management Information Systems, was recently accepted for a forthcoming publication in the Journal of the Association for Information Systems (JAIS) for her paper titled “A Partitioning Model of Control on Digital Labor Platforms.”
Dr. Hui Hao
april mitchell adopted a new puppy
April Mitchell, CPCD assistant director, and her family recently welcomed a new furry family member into their home. Meet Lolly, a sweet beagle mix rescued by the Tunica Humane Society. Lolly and her sister, Lulu, were the only survivors of heartbreaking conditions, but thanks to the incredible care of the Humane Society team, they were nursed back to health and found loving homes. Lolly hit the jackpot and she’s now living her best life alongside her two new sisters, Delta and Bella.
Lolly
dr. laura alderson presented at the aect international conference
Dr. Laura Alderson, associate professor of Teaching in the Department of Management, attended and presented at the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) International Conference in Las Vegas, NV. Her topic was "Are Business Graduates AI Competent?: Implementing AI in Business Courses."
Dr. Laura Alderson
dr. huigang liang awarded multi-year nih grant to support native american youth well-being
Dr. Huigang Liang, FedEx Chair of Excellence and professor of MIS, is serving as co-investigator on a multi-year NIH-funded project led by Dr. John Lowe (PI) from the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing. The team received significant support—more than $1 million annually—from the National Institutes of Health to advance a school-based intervention that promotes the mental, emotional and behavioral health of Native American youth in both rural and urban communities.
The study, “Talking Circle for Native American Youth Living Well (A Yo Li),” builds on the highly effective and empirically validated Talking Circle Intervention. Using a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) approach, the project partners with the United Keetoowah Band (UKB) of the Cherokee Tribe in Oklahoma, engaging youth across two geographically distinct regions. “A Yo Li” means “youth” in the UKB tribal language, underscoring the program’s cultural grounding.
Huigang will play a key leadership role in the project, overseeing the design of the clinical trial and directing data analytics activities essential to evaluating program effectiveness.
Dr. Huigang Liang
dr. john cicala published a new textbook
Dr. John Cicala, assistant professor of Teaching in the Department of Marketing and Supply Chain Management, has a forthcoming textbook, Always With, Never Against: A Textbook of Collaborative Negotiation. It is being published by Kendall Hunt and will be available in spring 2026. The foreword was written by Daniel L. Shapiro, founder and director of the Harvard International Negotiation Program.
John’s book is geared towards students rather than practitioners. It is designed to help them learn basic concepts, terminology and strategies of collaborative negotiating by using situations and contexts that they can understand, appreciate and relate to (dealing with roommates, classmates, interviewers, salespeople, etc.) and carry with them throughout their professional and personal lives. This is the second textbook he has authored.
dr. james vardaman’s son won the germantown pee-wee football league championship
Dr. James Vardaman, Free Enterprise Chair of Excellence in the Department of Management, is a particularly proud papa. His son, Zach Vardaman, captured the Germantown Pee-Wee (9-10 year old) Football League championship as a member of the Eagles. They clinched the title and an undefeated 10-0 season with a victory in the championship game.
Zach Vardaman
dr. scott vann is serving as a senior investigator on multi-institutional presidential
ai challenge grant
Dr. Scott Vann, assistant professor of Teaching in the Department of Management Information Systems, is serving as a Senior Investigator on a multi-institutional Presidential AI Challenge grant, funded at $84,450 by AI Tennessee. This collaborative project unites teams from the University of Memphis, Middle Tennessee State University, Fisk University and the University of Tennessee to advance innovative uses of artificial intelligence within K–12 curriculum. His role includes helping develop an LLM model with teacher and student-facing interfaces designed to support AI-based learning projects using a design-thinking approach.
Dr. Scott Vann
dr. mark gillenson elected to itea board of directors
Dr. Mark Gillenson, professor of Management Information Systems, was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the International Test and Evaluation Association (ITEA). This is primarily an industry and government organization focused on all aspects of testing. He will be the only board member from a university.
Dr. Mark Gillenson
uofm headshots will be offered in january
As a reminder, all UofM faculty and staff are required to sit for an official headshot. If you do not yet have a headshot or if you want a new one, please mark your calendars for Wednesday, January 28 from 11 AM – 1 PM. The photos will be taken in the Administration Building (119A). You do not need to book an appointment—walk ins will be served.
