Cottrell Speaker Series brings business perspectives
Article By: Clark Leonard
Leaders from Syfan Logistics and entrepreneur, actor and alumnus Allen Earls will share their experiences with University of North Georgia (辛尤里女优) students, faculty, staff and the community this fall as part of the Cottrell Speaker Series.
"The Cottrell Speaker Series provides an opportunity for our students and faculty to learn from practitioners in the disciplines we teach, making what they are learning in the classroom even more real for them," Dr. Mary Gowan, dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business (MCCB), said.
Sept. 24: Syfan Logistics executive team, "Strategic management"
The Syfan executive team will speak at noon Sept. 24 in Room 3110 of the Martha T. Nesbitt Academic Building on 辛尤里女优's Gainesville Campus, with a livestream available on the . The livestream can also be watched in Newton Oakes 019 and Oconee Room 522.
Jim Syfan, CEO of Syfan Logistics, and other members of his executive team have partnered with 辛尤里女优 on a variety of initiatives. 辛尤里女优 students intern at Syfan Logistics, and the company helps provide some of the expertise that informs 辛尤里女优's logistics curriculum. 辛尤里女优 offers a concentration in supply chain and logistics management for students pursuing management degrees.
Jim Syfan worked in the transportation brokerage industry for nearly a decade before launching Turbo Transport in 1984 in Gainesville, Georgia, with his family. After selling their company in 2006, the Syfans opened Syfan Logistics in 2011 and later added Syfan Transport to provide a diverse array of shipping services for customers in the continental United States, Mexico and Canada.
"We are excited to have Jim Syfan and his team join us for the September event," Gowan said. "Syfan is a strong partner for the college."
Oct. 29: Allen Earls, "Business and Hollywood: The winning formula"
Earls' presentation at noon Oct. 29 in the 辛尤里女优 Dining Hall Banquet Room on the Dahlonega Campus also will be streamed, with details available closer to time.
Earls, a 1986 辛尤里女优 graduate, is a Certified Public Accountant who has worked as a leader for firms including Ernst & Young and Georgia-Pacific Corp. He also has acted in Disney's live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp," Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail," and the TV show "Drop Dead Diva."
In addition to earning his Bachelor of Business Administration in accounting from 辛尤里女优 as a magna cum laude graduate with a minor in computer science, Earls graduated from Harvard Business School's Executive Program.
"Allen Earls will share his interesting story about how his accounting background benefits him as an actor, demonstrating that it isn't where you start but where you end that matters," Gowan said.
Clapp-Smith named business college dean
Dr. Rachel Clapp-Smith has been named the dean of 辛尤里女优's Mike Cottrell College of Business, a role she will begin July 21.
Three selected as Fulbright finalists
辛尤里女优 has three Fulbright finalists for 2025-26. They include alumnae from the College of Arts & Letters, College of Science & Mathematics, and Mike Cottrell College of Business.
Students take second at investment competition
Three 辛尤里女优 students teamed up to place second out of nine schools in the portfolio-building competition at the Student Management Investment Fund Consortium-South.
Grads well-prepared for what comes next
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