good-to-know | The Pulse

Elizabeth Ackerman Brings Style and Strategy to the School of Business

by Lacey Jackson ’29 The College of Charleston School of Business recently welcomed Elizabeth Ackerman, founder of Elizabeth James The Label, for an inspiring presentation that offered students a rare look at what it takes to build a successful fashion business. Drawing from her experiences as a designer and entrepreneur, Ackerman shared insights on curiosity,…

Honors Student-Veteran Goes From Service to Service

Leaving family and friends behind to attend university can be nerve-wracking for any student. The adjustment for non-traditional students like veterans can pose a special challenge. Many will leave behind a close-knit group of friends that feel like family, to enter an environment where their life experiences differ from their peers. That could have been…

2026-27 Schottland Scholar Applications are now open

Co-directors Dr. Jessica Madariaga, Mr. Scott Greene, and Dr. Esta Shah are inviting all exceptional School of Business juniors to consider applying for the Schottland Scholars Program. The Schottland Scholar program is a leadership development program for seniors with majors in the School of Business. The program runs the length of their senior year and involves…

2025 Alumni Awards Recipients

Three of the seven distinguished alumni being honored by the College of Charleston Alumni Association during the Homecoming Alumni Awards ceremony at the Sottile Theatre on Saturday, Nov. 15 have ties to the School of Business. Marcus Hammond ’09 Alumnus of the Year The Alumnus of the Year award recognizes a graduate who has achieved…

One-Year MBA Named Among Bloomberg’s Top Programs in the Nation

The College of Charleston School of Business has been named to Bloomberg Businessweek’s list of the 2025-26 Best Business Schools for its full-time MBA program – the only South Carolina program to be included.

Entrepreneurship Fireside Chat: Aly Merritt, Led by Stanfield Gray

by Lacey Jackson ’29 The College of Charleston School of Business recently welcomed Aly Merritt, President of Atlanta Tech Village, for a dynamic fireside chat with students in entrepreneurship classes. The conversation was facilitated by Stanfield Gray, founder and CEO of DIG South. Together, the two guided an engaging discussion on grit, growth, and the…

FREE Subscriptions!

Over 400 School of Business faculty, staff, and students are using the free subscription to Barron’s/MarketWatch – Are you? Please subscribe, and encourage your students to subscribe, to the FREE subscriptions for The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Barron’s/MarketWatch. Our donor for Barron’s/MarketWatch, Cheryl Holland from Abacus Planning Group, contributes nearly $12k to sponsor…

Exploring Generative AI in Business Statistics: A New Era of Learning

by Maryam Mahdikhani, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Supply Chain Management In my Business Statistics (DSCI 232) class, students are not just learning statistics—they’re learning how to learn with Generative AI. This semester, we explored how tools like ChatGPT can support understanding of complex statistical concepts such as normal distribution and sampling distribution. I designed this…

Wait, Wait… Don’t Miss This Faculty Feature

We love celebrating unique accomplishments, and this one’s a standout! Kimberly Tribou, assistant professor of accounting, recently fulfilled a longtime personal goal by appearing as a listener contestant on NPR’s popular news quiz show Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! Kimberly joined the show’s opening game, “Who’s Bill This Time?” (starts at 1m 30s), where the host…

AI and Infringement: What Educators Need to Consider

by Debby Marindin, EdD, Educational Practices and Innovation This morning, I was watching the news and saw yet another story about issues with AI. The company under fire this time was SHEIN, the fast-fashion giant, for using AI to generate designs that closely resemble independent artists’ work. Some call it efficiency; others call it infringement….

Alumni Perspectives: Intentional AI and The Humans in the Loop

By Lancie Affonso (featuring Sam Dreyfus ‘16, Xandre Clementsmith ‘21, Copilot, and Gemini) Traditions and Transformations: As an international, first-gen business and computer science major at the College of Charleston in 1992, I vividly recall running across the cistern (Oops!) to be on time for my orientation session and embark on a lifelong learning journey with…

We’re Hiring! CPE Operations Manager

We are currently accepting applications for the Operations Manager position on the School of Business Continuing and Professional Education (CPE) team. Share the posting with great candidates! You can view the posting here: https://jobs.cofc.edu/postings/17331 The posting will close on November 12. Questions? Contact Michelle Futrell.

Nov. 6: Retirement Gathering for Professor Rene Mueller

Please join us to celebrate Dr. Rene Mueller’s retirement on Thursday, November 6, 4 p.m.-6 p.m. at the Alumni Center, School of Education.

Nov 10: Student AI in Internships, Instruction, and Industry Panel

Hosted by the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, this student panel is limited to 40 participants and is open to faculty and students. RSVP by Nov. 4. Come and learn about how our undergraduate and graduate students are using AI in internships, instruction, and industry. AI in Industry, Instruction, and Internships Student Panel…

CPM is Project Lead at Arlington Forum

Peter Calcagno recently participated in the Arlington Forum at the Mercatus Center’s Markets and Society Conference. Calcagno was the project lead, where he had the opportunity to pitch the idea of how to grow the Center for Public Choice & Market Process to expand its reach across the Southeast. Thirty individuals from academia, policy, business,…

CofC Team “Clarity” Advances to Final Round of Catalyst by Beemok

We’re thrilled to share that Clarity, a student-led startup from the College of Charleston, has advanced to the final round of the Catalyst by Beemok Pitch Competition! Led by students Owen Smith (CREF) and Will Sadowski (ACCT), Clarity is an innovative app designed to assist with assignment management using AI tools. Clarity is the only…

Accounting Students Connect with Industry Partners at Meet the Firms

By Bryn Keeffe ’26. This year’s Meet the Firms, hosted by Mu Beta, the College of Charleston’s branch of Beta Alpha Psi, was a roaring success. With thirteen firms in attendance, there was no shortage of networking opportunities for the never-ending stream of students who attended.

A group photo of Michel with students after her talk

Danielle Michel Shares Entrepreneurial Insights with Business Students

By Lacey Jackson ’29. The College of Charleston School of Business recently hosted serial entrepreneur, investor, and speaker Danielle Michel for a powerful session that left students inspired and energized. Drawing from her experience as a multi-industry founder and CEO, Michel offered students her perspective on what it takes to build a meaningful career and life as an entrepreneur.

Congratulations to Dr. Eric Villafranca!

The School of Business is proud to celebrate Eric Villafranca, who has successfully defended his dissertation, “Power and Deception in the Sharing Economy.” Eric’s research explores how information-based power influences deceptive intentions within the ridesharing industry. Through a survey experiment, he found that greater informational advantage increases riders’ likelihood to deceive—particularly when shaped by platform…

Celebrate Homecoming with Business & Brunch

Join us for Business and Brunch, the business school’s signature Homecoming event! Connect with alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends while expanding your network in a welcoming atmosphere. Whether reminiscing or making new connections, this event is the perfect mix of business, community and celebration! Saturday, November 15 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Beatty Center Atrium Registration is…