News
Below you'll find a recent archive of news items related to the Department of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.
Department Newsletter
Stay informed. We'd like to share the latest newsletter from the Department of Information Systems. In the newsletter you'll find a note from the Chair, alumni news, faculty and student highlights, and more.
View the NewsletterPrevious Editions: Spring 2021 / Fall 2021

EPIC Spotlight: Varun Grover
The journey may seem the same: Ph.D. student starts their first year. They grow and, hopefully, write papers that get published. Then comes graduation and, if all goes well, they get an assistant professorship at a university.

Charles Hoskinson to Serve as Keynote for Blockchain Conference
The Blockchain for Business Conference is a free, online event taking place Friday, Oct. 8. Students, executives, industry practitioners and academics are invited to attend. Register now!

Blockchain Center of Excellence Launches Initiative Highlighting Female Leaders
The initiative kicked off with a video spotlight series featured on the center’s website. It will expand to include workshops, partnerships and different forms of recognition. To nominate a female blockchain professional or use-case, email blockchain@uark.edu.

Outstanding Walton College Faculty Recognized for 2020-21
Scot Burton, distinguished professor in the Department of Marketing, has been recognized with the Outstanding All-Around Faculty Award for 2020-21 by the Walton College.

Jed McCaleb to Keynote Kick-off for 2021 RZRblock Hackathon
Accomplished programmer and serial blockchain entrepreneur Jed McCaleb will be the keynote speaker to kick off the 2021 RZRblock Hackathon.

Zach Steelman Recognized with International Honor
The Association for Information Systems honored Zach Steelman with the AIS Early Career Award for his contributions to information systems.

Jeff Mullins Presented AIS Doctoral Dissertation Award
The AIS Doctoral Dissertation Award was established in 1995 to recognize the best information systems dissertation among Ph.D. candidates within the past year.

Information Systems Professor Varun Grover Receives International Honor
The Association for Information Systems awarded Walton College professor Varun Grover the AIS LEO Award to recognize his global impact in information systems.

Mary Lacity Named AIS Fellow for Global Organization
The Association for Information Systems named Walton College professor and blockchain expert Mary Lacity an AIS Fellow to recognize her global contributions to the information systems field.

EPIC Spotlight: Kathryn Carlisle
Banks are a big part of many people’s lives. They use them to receive and store their paychecks, pay their bills, take out loans and save. For most working Americans, having enough money to open and retain a checking account can be fairly easy. Kathryn Carlisle Senior Managing Director Blockchain Center of Excellence But for … Continue reading EPIC Spotlight: Kathryn Carlisle→

Three New Business Graduate Degrees Created to Meet Industry Demand
Walton College now offers three new graduate degrees: Master of Professional Accounting, Master of Applied Business Analytics and Master of Science in Supply Chain Management. Classes begin fall 2020.

Walton College to Host 2020 Women in IT Conference
Walton College is hosting the 2020 Women in IT Conference on April 8 at the University of Arkansas.

Blockchain in Business: What Do Companies’ 10-K Reports Say About DLT?
Three researchers from the Walton College at the University of Arkansas – Mary Lacity, Kris Allee and Yaping Zhu – looked at SEC-required reports to “examine companies’ propensity to discuss blockchains in their 10-Ks in order to measure the degree of their investment in this technology.”

Frizzell Selected as Walton College Employee of the Quarter
Along with Frizzell, Karen McDowell and Sandra Cox Birchfield were also nominated for their contributions to Walton College.

Walton College to Host Artificial Intelligence Course in Little Rock
Walton College is hosting a lunch and learn course “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Organizations” from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, July 25. Register today.

Executive Education to Host Cryptocurrency Course in Little Rock
Walton College will host Cryptocurrencies: The World of Digital Currency on July 18 at Walton College at 2nd & Main in Little Rock. Register now.

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: Qin Weng
Qin Weng, associate professor in information systems, know businesses love data, and students want to learn all they can.

EPIC Spotlight: Amber Young
When Amber Young taught advanced calculus and physics classes to high school students in rural Oklahoma, they struggled to see systems of equations as 3D objects.

Article on Women’s Entrepreneurship Wins Best Paper Award at AMJ
An article by researchers from the Department of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas and collaborators from Hong Kong and France published in the Academy of Management Journal was named the best paper of the year published in the journal.

Sabherwal Named IEEE Fellow
Rajiv Sabherwal, chair of the Department of Information Systems and Edwin & Karlee Bradberry Chair in Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, has been named an IEEE Fellow, effective January 1, 2019.

IT Executive Forum for College Students To Be Held Nov. 1
ITRI is hosting an IT Executive Forum for college students on Thursday, Nov. 1, from 4-5 p.m. in the Donald W. Reynolds Center for Enterprise Development auditorium. All students are welcome.

EPIC Spotlight: Mary Lacity
When Mary Lacity was a college student, she wanted to mathematically model the universe. If she could just figure out every motion of the atom, so much of life’s questions could be answered.

EPIC Spotlight: Sebastian Schuetz
Logging into Facebook, downloading music or posting an image on Instagram are activities easily taken for granted.

Blockchain Center Welcomes First Five Companies to Executive Advisory Board
The Blockchain Center of Excellence has officially welcomed the first five companies to join its executive advisory board.

Walton College Seeking Aspirations in Computing Award Applications
The Information Technology Research Institute is accepting applications from female high school students and educators for Aspirations in Computing Award.

Lacity Named Director of Blockchain Center of Excellence
Mary Lacity has been named to the Walton College Professorship in Information Systems and director of the Blockchain Center of Excellence effective July 1.

Walton College Establishes Blockchain Center of Excellence
Building on its history as a global leader in information systems research, the Sam M. Walton College of Business Department of Information Systems at the University of Arkansas has established the Blockchain Center of Excellence to discover and disseminate innovative uses of the emerging technology and to teach students its importance to the future of … Continue reading Walton College Establishes Blockchain Center of Excellence→

EPIC Spotlight: Abhijith Anand
Abhijith Anand reflects fondly on his introduction to computers as a child.

Walton College Blockchain Initiative Named SAP Next-Gen Chapter
At an academic conference in New York, Paul Cronan, professor in the Department of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and David Douglas, emeritus professor of information systems, presented details about University of Arkansas’ blockchain consortia to the SAP Academic Conference.

Cronan, Douglas on Program at AACSB Data Analytics Summit
Paul Cronan, professor in the Department of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and David Douglas, emeritus professor, along with Arne Strauss of the Warwick Business School presented “Developing Business Analytics Courses or Curriculum” to the AACSB Data Analytics Summit in Tempe, Arizona.

Douglas Receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Regional Decision Sciences Institute
David Douglas, emeritus professor in the Department of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton College of Business, has been recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Decision Sciences Institute, Southwest Region.

Industry Experts, Academics Discuss Blockchain
Nearly 225 academics and industry experts discussed the potential of blockchain technology and its application to the future of large and small businesses at the Blockchain Conference 2018 on Friday, April 6, in downtown Fayetteville.

Walton College, Consortium Organizing Blockchain Conference for April 6
The Department of Information Systems and the Enterprise Systems Blockchain Consortium are hosting a conference on the basics, value propositions and technology options of blockchain. Registration closes March 30.

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.

ITRI to Recognize 23 High School Women for Computing Achievements
The 8th annual Aspirations in Computing recognition program will be held on Tuesday, April 17, to encourage young women to pursue a career in technology.

Smith Named Walton College Employee of the Quarter
Sheree Smith, administrative support supervisor in the Department of Information Systems, has been named employee of the second quarter.

EPIC Spotlight: Ashley Collins
The atmosphere was just like working for a company. In fact, when Ashley Collins began her first career job after graduation, she was grateful that her classes at the Sam M. Walton College of Business mirrored a work environment – one that prepared her to develop software for a large company.

EPIC Spotlight: Zach Steelman
Blockchain technology is like rocket fuel for Zach Steelman. It’s the way of the future. It has the potential to shake things up just as much as the Dot-Com Boom did in the 1990s. Students are eager to learn more, and Steelman’s eager to accommodate. He loves talking about it.

Douglas Recipient of Teradata University Network Pioneer Award
David Douglas, emeritus professor of information systems in the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas, has been recognized with the Teradata University Network Pioneer Award.