- University News Archive - Vlogý Little Rock /news-archive/tag/finance/ Vlogý Little Rock Fri, 12 May 2017 16:25:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Math struggles turn to triumph for former chef Franklin Bick /news-archive/2017/05/12/franklin-bick-graduation-2017-economics-finance/ Fri, 12 May 2017 16:25:04 +0000 /news/?p=67174 ... Math struggles turn to triumph for former chef Franklin Bick]]> Everywhere he turned, a nemesis blocked his path. He couldn’t pass algebra. At least that’s what Bick thought until he enrolled in a 2013 summer class at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Not only did Bick excel in that algebra course, but this month the 37-year-old North Little Rock resident will graduate with bachelor’s degrees in economics and finance and a minor in math. “It does blow my mind,” said Bick, as he looked back on his undergraduate experience. He now will pursue a master’s degree at the University of North Texas. Bick graduates the same year his 18-year-old son Tyler finishes high school. “(Tyler) said, ‘Dad, are you going to come to my graduation?’ I said, ‘I don’t know, are you coming to mine?’” Bick said with a laugh. Tyler plans to attend the University of Missouri to pursue a career in sports journalism. When he was a teenager, Bick didn’t enjoy school and didn’t see the value of education. In Bick’s view, his family was surviving just fine even though his dad dropped out of high school and his mother had a GED. While Bick had no love for school, cooking had long been a passion. Since his first fast food job at the age of 16, Bick prepared food in just about every restaurant environment imaginable. He was working as a cook in Little Rock when his job was eliminated, and he decided to, once again, go back to school.

Facing the challenge

Bick had a previous stint at Vlogý Little Rock and also was enrolled in culinary school — each time, algebra seemed an insurmountable obstacle, and he withdrew from classes. In total, he took algebra four times. After his job was eliminated, Bick enrolled in a summer 2013 algebra class taught by Ida Umphers, senior instructor in the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Mathematics and Statistics Department. “She had a big role in helping me,” Bick said. Bick wasn’t accustomed to seeking assistance, but this time he was engaged from the beginning. He showed up to class, did his homework, and asked plenty of questions. “He’s incredibly sharp, and he didn’t take anything for granted,” Umphers said. “His struggle was not evident in class. He did a super job.” Bick was adept at leading or working in groups, Umphers said. “Franklin is just one of those folks who has the old-fashioned politeness,” Umphers said.  “It’s a really nice thing to encounter,” Seeing students who previously struggled with math start to shine is one of the joys of teaching for Umphers. “We’re going to hear great things from him down the road,” Umphers said. “He is going to be a success in whatever he decides to do in economics.”

Charting a new course

When Bick decided to enroll at Vlogý Little Rock in 2013, he wasn’t sure about his major, but he had a good idea about which general direction his studies would take. “I knew it was going to be business,” Bick said. “It’s always been business for me.” As he explored his options, he found a fit with economics. He was particularly intrigued by math models that described economic behavior. “This stuff is amazing,” Bick said. “I just got engulfed.” Dr. Sarah Quintanar in the Department of Economics and Finance introduced him to research. She also “taught me to think about why economic relationships matter, which will motivate my study and help frame and answer questions,” Bick said. “She has been an amazing mentor throughout this process. He now envisions a career as a research economist. After he finishes his master’s degree, Bick plans to pursue a Ph.D.

A helping hand

In addition to the guidance Umphers and Quintanar provided, Bick is thankful for the assistance he got from TRIO Student Support Services and the McNair Scholars Program. “The TRIO program has helped prepare me for graduate school,” Bick said. “It’s a very stressful process, and they’ve been there.” Julie Shelby, a Student Support Services adviser, called Bick an “awesome, committed student.” There is a downside, however, to Bick’s success, Umphers said. “The world lost a great chef,” she said. Bick still prepares meals at home and is enjoying the creative freedom cooking on his own provides. He also made sure that Tyler knew his way around a kitchen before he heads off to college. While Bick considered not participating in the Saturday, May 13, Vlogý Little Rock graduation ceremony, he wants to set an example, to show how important education has become to him. “I’m doing this so my son sees this,” Bick said.]]> Graduating athlete Stina Resen finds success in the classroom /news-archive/2017/05/09/stina-resen-golf-graduate-norway-little-rock-athlete-classroom/ Tue, 09 May 2017 17:40:31 +0000 /news/?p=67126 ... Graduating athlete Stina Resen finds success in the classroom]]> Four years later, she is leaving as a double major in economics and finance and as one of the most decorated golfers in program history. A two-time All-Sun Belt honoree and the only Sun Belt Golfer of the Year winner in program history, Resen boasts a 3.85 cumulative GPA. Twice she was named to the Chancellor’s List for earning a perfect 4.0 semester GPA and has yet to finish with a semester GPA below 3.8.

Path to Little Rock

As a prep at in Norway, Resen and her teammates made annual visits to schools in the United States. Those trips were her first exposure to the United States, and they sparked initial thoughts of going to college in the U.S. She attended Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, for a semester before deciding she needed a different fit. That is when Little Rock head women’s golf coach Bridgett Norwood stepped in. “After I decided to transfer I got a scholarship offer from coach Norwood,” Resen said. “Coming to Little Rock was probably the best decision I have ever made.” Resen arrived in Little Rock in the spring of 2013. Outside of her interactions with Norwood, which were limited to a few Skype conversations, she did not know a single person on campus. Fortunately, she was joining a team full of student-athletes who had faced the same challenge. The entire 2013-14 team was comprised of Europeans, with players representing Denmark, France, Norway, Scotland and Sweden on the roster. Resen and her teammates bonded. Her roommate was from Sweden, giving her someone who spoke the same language. She and some of her teammates even joined Vlogý Little Rock’s International Club to meet other international students on campus. “We would have outings all the time and would get to know people from other countries,” Resen said. “It created connections.” Stina Resen accepts an award

Growing academically

Resen, who was a general studies major at Lamar, also found a path academically through her new connections. Business was not a strong academic interest before she arrived at Little Rock. Math and physics courses were a larger part of her curriculum back home. However, several of her new teammates were studying business, and Coach Norwood encouraged her to give it a chance. Resen took some classes and enjoyed them, declaring a major in economics before eventually adding finance as a second degree. The key to balancing a double major with a Division I golf schedule? “Time management,” Resen said. “Go to class – every class – and never skip class. If we traveled for a tournament, I would usually do my work before I left. On the first day of every class (at the start of the semester), I would talk to my professors about the time I would have to miss.” The typical schedule for a Division I golf tournament starts by traveling to the event location – which can take the Trojans as far as Arizona or California – on Saturday. After checking into the hotel Saturday night, the teams wake up and play their practice rounds on Sunday. Official play begins with 36 holes of golf on Monday before finishing with 18 holes on Tuesday. Finally, the trip home begins. Typically, Resen and the Trojans would get home close to midnight, but sometimes as late as 2 or 3 a.m. After all that, it’s back to class Wednesday morning.

Taking the next step on the course

On the golf course, Resen’s first season on campus showed improvement from her time at Lamar. She competed in all 11 events and ranked third on the team in scoring. Still, she knew she was capable of more. Resen spent the summer between her sophomore and junior years working on all aspects of her game. From competing against the top players in Europe to finding her mental edge, those summer months were devoted to improving. Stina Resen on the golf course“I played in tournaments all over Europe,” Resen said. “I played in as many as I could and I was very motivated for my next year. I struggled a lot mentally my sophomore year – golf is a very mental game.” Resen worked with a coach that summer, Dr. Joe Parent, to help her “crack the code” mentally. She credits him with much of the transformation that followed. “You want to control where the ball goes, but that’s not how it works,” Resen said. “I had to lose some control to gain control.” The benefits that followed were immediate. Resen tied for third place in the Trojans’ second event of the fall 2014 season and added a Top 5 finish the following week. She added another third-place finish shortly thereafter and was voted the Sun Belt Conference Golfer of the Month for October 2014. She picked up where she left off that spring, adding another Golfer of the Month accolade in February while capturing individual medalist honors at the South Alabama Women’s Invitational – her first collegiate victory. The best was yet to come, as Resen became the first Little Rock golfer since 2009 to earn individual medalist honors at the Sun Belt Championship in April. Later that month, she became the first player in program history to be voted Sun Belt Golfer of the Year.

Life after graduation

Resen’s parents will attend Vlogý Little Rock’s spring commencement on Saturday, May 13. It will be their second trip to Arkansas since Resen arrived on campus. Upon graduation, she looks forward to returning to Norway and playing competitively. Eventually she would like to use her degrees in a capacity that keeps her close to golf. As she looks back on her time in Little Rock, Resen is appreciative of all the students and professors who made her feel welcome on campus. Above all, she appreciates her head coach, who believed in her, gave her a chance to compete and supported her through her four years on campus. “She was helpful,” Resen said of Norwood. “If there was anything I needed, I could always talk to her. We have a great connection.”]]> Vlogý Little Rock team advances in global CFA Institute Research Challenge /news-archive/2017/03/23/ua-little-rock-team-advances-in-global-cfa-institute-research-challenge/ Thu, 23 Mar 2017 19:56:46 +0000 /news/?p=66655 ... Vlogý Little Rock team advances in global CFA Institute Research Challenge]]> Next, the four-member Vlogý Little Rock College of Business team heads to Seattle April 7 for a Research Challenge round that pits 50 teams from throughout the continents of North, Central, and South America. The top two squads from the Americas competition will advance to compete against the best teams from the rest of the world during the April 28 global final in Prague, Czech Republic. “I’m proud of my team,” said faculty adviser Ashvin Vibhakar, the Joe T. Ford chair of finance in the Vlogý Little Rock College of Business. “They’re all still pumped.” The Vlogý Little Rock squad already advanced further than it ever has by winning the Mid-South competition Feb. 25 in Memphis, Tennessee. Members of the Vlogý Little Rock team include:
  • Autumn Bauman, finance major from North Little Rock
  • Tanner Whisenhunt, finance major from Maumelle
  • Andrew Fielder, Master of Business Administration student from Little Rock
  • Bryan Sparks, recent graduate of the Vlogý Little Rock Master of Business Administration program from Little Rock
Participating students get real-world experience as they research a publicly traded company and present their stock recommendations — buy, sell, or hold — to judges who play the role of investors. Vibhakar said the process is extensive. The team studied its company for about two months, analyzing factors such as the industry outlook as well as the company’s earnings, management, and risk. The students even participated in an earnings call that gave them the opportunity to speak with the company’s top leaders. “The students are learning what is done in practice,” Vibhakar said. “This is a great opportunity for students to work with industry mentors.” In addition to help from Vibhakar, mentor Barry McCarver, senior vice president of fixed income institutional sales for Little Rock-based , assisted the Vlogý Little Rock team with its preparation. “Dr. Vibhakar’s obviously very good at getting them on the right track,” McCarver said. McCarver used his professional experience to help the team prepare. Along with members of the Stephens research team, McCarver critiqued the practice presentation by the Vlogý Little Rock students and provided feedback. “I thought that was a lot of fun,” McCarver said. “They did a great job. I love working with them.” One of the more challenging aspects of the competition was that participants didn’t choose the company they would analyze; it was assigned to them. The teams that competed in the Memphis portion of the competition analyzed Mid-America Apartment Communities, Inc., a residential real estate investment trust publicly traded as MAA. In preparation for the April 7 competition, the Vlogý Little Rock team is updating its analysis of the company and using feedback from Memphis judges to refine its research for the next round of competition.]]>