News

Below you'll find a recent archive of news items related to the Department of Finance at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

Three Alumni to Be Honored at Awards Banquet

Three outstanding alumni of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas will be honored in April at the college’s annual awards banquet.

Boundless

Walton College’s Noel Morris has been raising funds and awareness for the purchase and delivery of wheelchairs for those in need in third world countries. Morris didn’t go looking for this project – it came to him.

Community Bank Stress Testing for the COVID-19 Shock

Professor Tim Yeager of the Department of Finance along with finance doctoral student Cao Fang have put together a practitioner report on the effects of COVID-19 on community banks across America.

EPIC Spotlight: John Dominick

John Dominick learned a lot from driving a combine harvester in his youth. Namely, that he didn’t want to do that for the rest of his life.

Walton College Students Take Two First Places in Global Investment Portfolio Competition

For the first time, students from the Walton College won two different categories based on two different funds at the world’s largest student managed investment fund competition at Quinnipiac University’s GAME IX Forum in New York.

Walton College Team Takes Top Spot at Regional Business Competition

A team made up of three Sam M. Walton College of Business students won first place in the Best Practices competition at the SouthWest Regional Meeting of Beta Alpha Psi.

EPIC Spotlight: Xi Li

Xi Li doesn’t consider himself to be much of a risk taker – unless a good opportunity presents itself. And those don’t usually happen but every few years.

Research Finds Well-Connected CFOs Obtain More Favorable Terms on Corporate Loans

A study by a Walton College researcher and his colleagues says well-connected chief financial officers obtain loans for their companies with more favorable terms and conditions as compared to those who have less “social capital.”

New Century Capital Management CEO Leads ‘Trading University’

Jim Porter, chief executive officer of New Century Capital Management in Chicago and a University of Arkansas alumnus, recently led the first “Trading University” at the Walton College.

Walton Team Takes First in Graduate Growth Category at G.A.M.E.

A combined team from the Shollmier Fund and the Portfolio Management Class at the Sam M. Walton College of Business took first place in the Graduate Growth category of the world’s largest student managed investment fund competition.

Potential Transfer Students Learn About Programs, Resources, Curriculum

Forty potential transfer students from Northwest Arkansas Community College visited the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas to learn about programs, resources and curriculum in the college.

Cold Emails, Warm Receptions

Senior honors student Grayson Greer conducted some top-level research on the Indian food market through interviews with top-level executives — he gained access to the corner offices of CEOs and managing directors simply by having the audacity to ask.

Walton Research: Some Private Equity Firms Increase Employment Following Buyouts

The private equity industry has grown rapidly over the past 25 years. With this growth, private equity firms have increased their involvement in politics, which many view as controversial.

Two Teams Share Win at Social Innovation Challenge

Often things are too close to call, and such was the case when student teams pitched their social and environmental design solutions to a panel of faculty and expert judges at the second Social Innovation Challenge.

Class Teaches Students: Control Your Money or It’ll Control You

People sing about money. (Think the Beatles, Cindi Lauper, ABBA, Lady Gaga.) They talk about money. They dream about money. But not many ordinary, everyday people do much about money.

Study Abroad Experience Inspires Campaign Gift From Roberts Family

University of Arkansas alumni John and Tamara Roberts, along with their children — alumnus Connor Roberts and current student Blakely Roberts — have made a family gift through Campaign Arkansas to help support study abroad opportunities at the university.

Lawrence Makes Forbes’ Top Wealth Advisor List

Ross Lawrence, a Sam M. Walton College of Business alumnus, is among the 500 listed in Forbes magazine’s inaugural America’s Top Next Generation Wealth Advisors.

Adding Value, Gaining Experience

Scott Sims, an honors accounting and finance double major in Walton College, beams at everyone we pass in the Bentonville Sam’s Club, greeting the workers like old friends.

EPIC Spotlight: Will Edwards

Will Edwards had a hard time remembering the names of his fraternity brothers.

EPIC Spotlight: Luke Holland

Luke Holland dreamed of a fast-paced career on Wall Street. Instead, he landed a fast-paced career on Capitol Hill.

Podcast: Tim Yeager Discusses The Federal Reserve and the Housing and Credit Crises

Yeager is featured on “Short Talks From The Hill,” a new podcast highlighting research and scholarly work across the University of Arkansas campus.

Hog Ride Offering Students Alternative Travel Plan

A speeding ticket after freshman orientation – one that raised the cost of his car trip from about $70 to nearly $300 — planted the idea with Byron Alley that there had to be a better way to and from the Fayetteville campus of the University of Arkansas for students who live in Texas.

EPIC Spotlight: Ross Lawrence

Many fresh college graduates look for exciting careers in big cities like Chicago or New York. Ross Lawrence was one of them. With a bachelor’s degree in finance, he applied to more than 70 jobs in the Windy City and Big Apple. Then he decided he’d give Nevada, Missouri, a try. Ross Lawrence BSBA ’11 … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Ross Lawrence→

EPIC Spotlight: Tim Riley

An economist with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Riley wondered what would happen if he borrowed an idea from Alexey Malakhov, and modified it to see how actively managed mutual funds perform against passively managed investments.

Walton Hosts International Trade and Finance Research Workshop

The 5th Annual CIRANO-Sam M. Walton College of Business Workshop on Networks in Trade and Finance will take place in Willard J. Walker Hall at the University of Arkansas on September 30 and October 1.

Nine Walton College Faculty Awarded Endowed Chairs, Professorships

Nine faculty members of the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas have been awarded endowed chairs or endowed professorships.

EPIC Spotlight: Addison Scott

She thought she had failed. This was something Addison Scott did not do.

Faculty: Best of the Best

Eight faculty members were recognized for their outstanding work by Walton College’s Business Awards and Elections Committee.

Community College Students Visit for Walton Transfer Day

Nearly 40 potential transfer students from Northwest Arkansas Community College in Bentonville visited the Sam M. Walton College of Business to learn about life as a student at the University of Arkansas.

EPIC Spotlight: Collin Grimes

Houston is a city where oil is big and buildings fill the skyline. But securing office space in one of those buildings, or any real estate, in the nation’s fourth largest city can be daunting. Collin Grimes BSBA ’06 First Vice President Global Corporate Services CBRE Group Inc. Houston For Collin Grimes, it’s another day … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Collin Grimes→

EPIC Spotlight: Scott Hsu

Scott Hsu loved watching American movies in his hometown of Taipei, Taiwan. He sought out as many Academy Award-winning films he could and fell in love with “The Sound of Music.” Then there was another one starring Michael Douglas, who played a greedy, ruthless stockbroker. “Wall Street” got Hsu curious about the business world.

EPIC Spotlight: Lindsay Duckworth

Lindsay Duckworth is always on the move. One moment, she may be at home in Denver, enjoying the Rocky Mountain air. Then she’s on a plane to New York, where she meets with business executives – sometimes in Manhattan.

EPIC Spotlight: Andrew Motter

Before Andrew Motter was old enough to drive, he made money by dragging the family lawnmower out of the garage and cutting the neighbors’ grass.

2015-16 Walton Student Ambassadors Announced

Thirteen students have been named Walton College Student Ambassadors for 2015-16. Student ambassadors assist Walton’s Undergraduate Programs Office with recruitment efforts.

Three From Walton College Elected to ASG Leadership Roles

Three Walton College students have been elected as Associated Student Government officials for the 2015-16 academic year. Elections were conducted March 9-12 and have been certified by the ASG Judiciary.

EPIC Spotlight: Rwan El-Khatib

Many told Rwan El-Khatib she would not be accepted by a United States doctoral program. It had been difficult for business majors in her native country of Jordan to continue their education in a doctoral program in America, and she repeatedly heard about it. It was almost as if people were challenging her

EPIC Spotlight: Hannah Birch

Hannah was inspired to pursue an education at the Sam M. Walton College of Business when she came to the university as a junior for a convocation that featured presentations by Walton students as well as Jason Adams, the college’s Honors Programs associate director, and Javier Reyes.

EPIC Spotlight: Omar Meson featured image