March 2026 Desk of the Dean

We had a wonderful time at Homecoming, celebrating an incredible year. I want to especially highlight our alumni who received awards at the Alumni Awards Ceremony:

• Mr. Jonathan Pope (2008) received the CoBT Alumni Achievement Award.​

• Mr. Sam Rauschenberg (2007) received the Honors College Alumni Achievement Award. ​​

I'm also excited to share that our Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program is off to a solid start, and Mr. Scott Burns was featured on WMAZ13 discussing how AI can be used in the tax filing process.

Georgia College & State University faculty and staff are helping shape the next generation of business leaders through the Youth Entrepreneur Program, a community initiative giving local high school students real-world entrepreneurship experience. At the inaugural YEP Startup Showdown, student-run ventures competed "Shark Tank"-style for seed funding. The winner, Middle Georgia Detailing, took home $1,500 to grow their business. Read more about how GCSU is investing in the future of Milledgeville and Baldwin County.

The J. Whitney Bunting College of Business & Technology is gathering information from alumni to assist in improving our programs and alumni connections. This survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete and will help us as we continue to design our programming. Thank you for your time.

We had an exceptional time during GC WIT Day. Our guest speakers included Ms. Christa Jordan, Director of Engineering with Booz Allen Hamilton, and Ms. Michelle Black, Director of Customer Success with Salesforce.

Finally, I'd like to ask you to join us in our 2026 Alumni Giving Challenge. From March 25-26, 2026, we will be raising funds for the College of Business & Technology. You can donate here.

Sincerely,

Dr. Faye McIntyre

Interim Dean

College of Business & Technology

The Department of Economics & Finance offers two degree programs designed to prepare students for exciting careers in very high-demand fields: a B.S. in Economics and a B.S. in Finance, as well as three minors in Economics, Finance, and Business Administration. Our degree programs focus on developing analytical reasoning, quantitative skills and communication skills.

The Department of Economics & Finance is home to several student organizations, including the honor society, Omicron Delta Epsilon, the Economics & Debate Club, Finance Club, and the Student Managed Investments Committee. Furthermore, the department employs 15 full-time faculty members, with diverse backgrounds and degrees from Clemson, George Washington University, Old Dominion, Florida International University, Georgia State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Texas A&M, Florida State, University of South Florida, Colorado State, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.

Several students and faculty members attended the 63rd Annual Conference of the Academy of Economics & Finance. Lauren Decker, Sam Kinney, Ethan Montgomery, Zach Novo and Leah Smith presented their undergraduate research to leaders in the field.

• Leah Smith presented, “Does Legalizing Gay Marriage Affect Federal Tax Revenue?”

• Zach Novo presented, “Does Parental Socioeconomic Status Affect the Future Gambling Habits of Children?”

• Ethan Montgomery presented, “Do State Research Incentives Affect the Location of Semiconductor Establishments?”

• Sam Kinney presented, “Do Education Programs in Prison Affect Mental Health?”

• Lauren Decker presented, “Does Relocation During Adolescence Affect Education Outcome?"
  
  

Faculty highlights included:

• Dr. Chris Clark and Ms. Jessie Folk completed the course requirements for the Economics and Finance Teacher Training Program.

• Dr. Brooke Conaway presented at the Economics and Finance Teacher Training Program.

• Drs. Brent Evans, Tom Frye and Cullen Wallace presented their research at the 63rd Annual Conference of the Academy of Economics and Finance.

Students at the Academy of Economics & Finance

• Econ & Debate Club held a meeting debating the national debt.

• Dr. Brent Evans led an "Investment Strategies for College Students" seminar for GCSU honors students.

• Sam Rauschenberg, an Economics alumnus (2007), visited campus for alumni festivities and received the Alumni Achievement Award. He also gave a "Legends of Honors" talk entitled “An Unexpected Journey.”

• Lauren Decker, an Economics senior, has received multiple funded offers from PhD programs. Roughly $27,000 from Clemson and $31,000 from Florida State.

• Colin Adams, Economics (2023) is currently a PhD student at Florida State. He presented one of his research papers at Georgia College on Friday, February 6th. His paper was entitled, “The Lifelong Criminal Consequences of Kindergarten Cutoff Dates.”

From Construction Sites to the Classroom

Before he ever stood at the front of a classroom, Dr. Donghun Kim stood in the trenches of international project finance. Originally from South Korea, Dr. Kim spent six years as a corporate finance manager at SK Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd., a multinational engineering and construction firm, before pursuing his Ph.D. in Finance at George Washington University. In that role, he served as lead financial modeler for large-scale infrastructure development projects across Turkey, Laos, Korea, and beyond. His career involved collaborating with global partners, investment banks, and local governments to bring billion-dollar projects to financial close.

That experience left a lasting mark. “I gained a deep appreciation for the complexity of financial contracts and the conflicts among stakeholders embedded within them,” Dr. Kim reflects. “I also saw firsthand how an interdisciplinary perspective and a broad understanding of corporate matters can help individuals make better decisions in complex business environments.” It’s a philosophy he now carries into every course he teaches as an Assistant Professor of Finance at Georgia College & State University.

Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice

Dr. Kim’s approach to teaching is deliberately practical. Rather than focusing on mastering every technical detail, he prioritizes giving students direct or indirect exposure to real-world financial decision-making before they enter the job market. He emphasizes the intuition behind financial concepts, the trade-offs faced by firms and investors, and why these topics matter for students’ future careers.

“My goal is to help students differentiate themselves and remain competitive among other candidates in professional environments,” he says. “Understanding the ‘why’ behind financial decisions is what gives students a real edge.”

Python for Finance: Building Tomorrow’s Problem-Solvers

This spring, Dr. Kim is teaching “Python for Finance,” a course designed to develop students’ abilities to analyze financial data, apply financial tools, and communicate insights clearly to future clients and stakeholders. He views the classroom as a bridge between academic knowledge and professional practice, a space for cultivating thoughtful, adaptable problem-solvers.

Looking ahead, Dr. Kim hopes to build strong connections with local industry professionals to create hands-on opportunities for students to apply what they’ve learned beyond the classroom walls.

Research Rooted in Real-World Challenges

Dr. Kim’s research reflects the same commitment to relevance that defines his teaching. His work focuses on corporate debt contracts and the conflicts that arise within them. His paper, “Natural Disasters, Covenant Violations, and Bank Loans,” examines how exogenous shocks such as natural disasters affect creditor–borrower relationships, and how creditors respond differently to firms’ external risks depending on their financial health.

By grounding his academic inquiry in real industry challenges, Dr. Kim ensures that his research, like his teaching, remains firmly connected to the world his students are preparing to enter.

Finding Her Path in Milledgeville

Leah Kitashima didn't walk into Georgia College with a clear plan, but it didn't take long for one to find her. Her first economics class with Dr. Clark changed everything. "He made the content really interesting and intuitive," she recalls. "It was actually fun to go to class." By the end of the semester, Dr. Clark asked if she'd considered majoring in economics. She had her answer.

Leah went on to get involved in campus life joining Phi Mu, serving as vice president of Delta Sigma Pi, and sitting on the Dean's Advisory Board for the School of Business. She also found something she hadn't expected: her husband, whom she met freshman year and started dating sophomore year. "GCSU is where I met my husband and my lifelong friends," she says. "Those are my favorite memories."

Building the Case for Graduate School

After graduating, Leah followed the advice of her GCSU professors, Dr. Clark, Dr. Scafidi, Dr. Conaway, and Dr. Arias, and applied to PhD programs in economics. She'd considered law school, but the funding opportunities and flexibility of a PhD program won out. "I went in thinking I could always leave with a master's if I needed to," she says. She ended up staying the full course, finishing her PhD at Clemson University in 2017.

From there, she cast a wide net, applying to roughly 200 positions, landing around 40 interviews, and going in with an open mind. One of those applications led her somewhere she hadn't anticipated: Analysis Group, a leading economic and litigation consulting firm.

Where Economics Meets the Courtroom

At Analysis Group, Leah works at the intersection of two fields she's always been drawn to: economics and law. Her team partners with legal counsel to assess economic damages in litigation — essentially answering the question of what one party owes another, and building a rigorous analytical case to support that answer. It's detailed, demanding work that requires not just strong quantitative skills, but the ability to communicate complex findings clearly to judges and juries who don't share an economics background.

That gap between analysis and persuasion has been one of her most important professional lessons. "Sometimes, despite all the effort and confidence in our analysis, the jury chooses the other side's number," she says. "It's taught me that not everything is within our control. You focus on doing rigorous, thoughtful work, but the ultimate outcome isn't always yours to decide."

Balancing Career and Life

The accomplishment Leah is most proud of isn't a case outcome or a career milestone — it's managing a high-demand consulting career while raising a daughter and being a present mother. Her husband works as a pilot and travels frequently, and they don't live near family. It's a balancing act she hadn't seen modeled much at her firm. "I'm incredibly proud, first and foremost, to be a mom," she says. "Learning how to navigate both roles has challenged me in ways I never expected."

Advice for Students

On AI, Leah's message is simple: think first. "If you use AI before you've done your own thinking, you lose the exercise of reasoning on your own — and that matters in every line of work." On careers more broadly, she encourages students to apply widely, say yes to things that feel intimidating, and resist the pressure to have it all figured out. "Very few people follow a perfectly straight path. Your interests will evolve in ways you can't fully predict yet."

And what separates the people who really stand out? "A lot of people in this field are incredibly smart, that's almost a given. What's rare is being analytically strong and able to communicate clearly, build relationships, and explain complex ideas simply. That combination is actually pretty hard to find."

Leah with Dr. Christopher Clark at graduation.

• An ethical AI presentation was given for The Column Society professional development speaker series, led by Dr. Ward Risvold.
• Dr. Jeannie Pridmore presented on responsible AI usage in higher education to the Honors College on behalf of the Center of Technology & Empowerment.
• Georgia College & State University now officially offers a student chapter of Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) and this new club is on the docket for students to join! Thank you to Dr. Aric Wilhau and student Mia Morrow for coordinating this wonderful student organization.
• Delta Sigma Pi, our co-ed business fraternity open to all business majors, had an exciting month which you can read about in their student-run newsletter.
• Several of our honor societies inducted new students into the organizations this semester. Beta Alpha Psi inducted 34 new members and Omicron Delta Epsilon inducted eight new members.
• Beta Alpha Psi is working on a community service project to raise supplies for a local school, Midway Hills Academy. Read more about the supplies drive on their website.
• Several faculty members were recognized by GCSU student athletes as having a positive impact on their experience at GCSU. We'd like to give a shout out to: Dr. Bob Duesing, Mr. Kent Hill, Dr. Brent Evans, Ms. Kendra Evans, Mr. Scott Burns, Dr. Navid Safari, Dr. Ward Risvold, and Dr. Eric Kobbe. Congratulations!
• Our first Faculty Learning Community session took place with Dr. Jaclyn Queen and Allison Shepherd from the Center for Teaching & Learning who shared online learning tools.
• Dr. Stephanie Austin's manuscript, "Risky Business: Executive Compensation Attributes and Enterprise Risk Management" was accepted for presentation at the Academy of Business Research Conference in New Orleans.
• Dr. Nicholas Creel published, "Compass Wants Zillow to Hide Homes From You" in The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Creel also wrote an article about tariffs that was published in the World Politics Review.
• Our enterprise management students visited Gulfstream Aerospace headquarters, led by Drs. Jeannie Pridmore and Joy Godin. Students saw the production of the G500 and G600 aircrafts and met with SAP Technical and Functional leaders to hear about career opportunities.
• Dr. Sandria Stephenson presented, "Understanding the Distortions in the Use of Artificial Intelligence to Complete Data Driven Assignments in Managerial and Cost Accounting Courses" at the Georgia Association of Accounting Educators' Conference.
• Professor Jehan El-Jourbagy presented at the Huber Hurst Legal Scholarship Seminar at the University of Miami.

Guest Speakers, Sponsors & Campus Visitors

• Shuffle Mamas presented their business to Mr. Kent Hill's classes as an example of low-cost entrepreneurship when starting a business.
• Colin Adams, 2023 economics graduate and current PhD candidate at Florida State University, presented one of his research papers to our students.
• Lauren Boeche and Sam Gibson, corporate recruiters with Jackson and Coker, presented to Dr. Mary Rickard's sales management and professional selling classes.
• Eisner Amper visited campus to help host and sponsor the Beta Alpha Psi chili cookoff, which was a tremendous success.
• Aprio visited campus to share about financial literacy fundamentals.
• Base44 visited campus to host an AI Prompting Hackathon, where students got hands-on experience with one of the fastest-growing AI platforms in the world!
• GC Entrepreneurs Club, advised by Dr. Bob Duesing, had several guest speakers: Bob Ewing, co-franchisee local Amici's Restaurants in Milledgeville and Macon and a GC grad, spoke about franchise operations. Lou Childs, co-founder of SlumberPod, spoke about her experience on Shark Tank as well as the pros and cons of operating a family business. Dr. Mike Martino, co-owner of BodyPlex and a GC professor of exercise science, spoke about the founding and growth of his business ventures.

WIT Day 2026

The WebMBA at Georgia College & State University offers professionals the opportunity to earn an AACSB accredited online MBA degree without interruption to their work and personal lives. The affordable program ($23,000 total) has been established since 2001. The accelerated format allows you to finish in 20 months. Apply today!