AIS STUDENT CHAPTER

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS ANNUAL REPORT 2014-15

“To promote the study and utilization of information systems”

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contents

Summary: Letter From The President __________________________________________________________________ 1

Professional Development ______________________________________________________________________________ 3

Community Service ______________________________________________________________________________________ 5

Fundraising _______________________________________________________________________________________________ 6

Membership ______________________________________________________________________________________________ 7

Communications _________________________________________________________________________________________ 8

Careers in “IS” ____________________________________________________________________________________________ 9

Chapter Operations _____________________________________________________________________________________ 11

Budget/Financial Statement ___________________________________________________________________________ 13

Metrics and Demographics _____________________________________________________________________________ 14

SUMMARY: LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Page 1

Summary: Letter From The President

08 May 2015

Dear AIS Members, Officers and Administrators:

As I end my second and final year as President, I am proud to write to you concerning the

events and initiatives of 2014-15. This past year has been exciting and challenging for the

Association for Information Systems chapter at the University of Arkansas’ Sam M.

Walton College of Business. Certainly, not the least part of our excitement has centered on

the fact that we began our very first year as a member organization of AIS. There have

been transition challenges but these were handily met by the passion and energy of our

new AIS Board of Officers. And, perhaps there is no better place to start that with the

initiative of expansion.

Prior to joining AIS, our Information Systems student group was led by only four officers.

We quickly learned that, in order to properly serve our student community, we needed a

larger, more diverse leadership team. With that goal in mind, we expanded from four to

nine officer positions. Furthermore, we reached beyond the Information Systems (ISYS)

discipline in search of leaders. For example, our Treasurer was a Finance & Economics

major, and our VP of Professional Community Development was a Management major.

Finally, by happy accident, we achieved a racial, gender and age diversity across the

leadership that gave us a wonderful sense of synergy.

Our intentions for this new AIS chapter flowed from our newly crafted mission

statement: “to promote the study and utilization of information systems through programs

of professional development, social networking, and community development.” With that in

mind, we planned eighteen events and executed on thirteen of them. These ranged from

career and networking events with organizations like Phillips 66, technology events like

an afternoon trip to Walmart’s Innovation Laboratory in Bentonville, AR, career fair

SUMMARY: LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

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readiness events with Walton College’s Career Center, technical skills events like our

series of Excel workshops, and social events like our Nite-Out at Arkadia Retrocade.

It has been a year of testing out new things and building a framework for the future.

Every single activity undertaken by this new AIS leadership team was a learning moment.

And, I am encouraged to see several of this past year’s leaders carrying those lessons

forward in leadership positions this coming year. With solid funding and mentoring from

both academia and industry, I know they will have the support they need to exceed the

accomplishments of the outgoing leadership – and that is an imminent fact that I

personally look forward to boasting of in the coming years.

Even the composition of the Annual Report that you are about to peruse was a learning

experience. We were inspired and awed to see the example of AIS chapters from around

the country when we read through their annual reports in preparation for our own. In

these closing weeks, we realize now the nascent lesson of this past year: there is still

much work to do; there are still more leadership positions to establish and explore.

So, for the future, we invite all leaders that move through the information systems world

to bring their passion, creativity and humanity to bear in every moment of their lives.

Specifically, we say to the AIS chapter at the University of Arkansas, “keep going …

because there is greatness over that next mountain.” And, to the AIS members and alumni

in the wider world we say, Greetings! We cherish and covet your friendship and support

as we move forward to what’s next.

Respectfully,

Radclyffe L. George

President, Association of Information Systems

University of Arkansas - Fayetteville

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Professional Development

The University of Arkansas AIS chapter prides itself with having provided its members

and students of the Sam M. Walton College of Business with opportunities to better

themselves. In 2014-15, we sought to offer a broad array of events ranging from technical

skills development through business communication etiquette to career fair navigation.

One of the events that we hosted this year was a Career Fair Readiness event.

Every semester approximately 100+ companies send their recruiters to the University of

Arkansas. Our Career Fair Readiness event focused on key soft skills that are necessary to

differentiate students in the eyes of HR professionals. During this event we invited our

career center assistant director, Renee Clay, and Jeff Mullins, Executive in Residence and

Associate Director of the Master of Information Systems Programs, to prepare students

for the upcoming Career Fair. They taught the students about the do’s and don’ts of

resumes and interactions in the corporate world. They also provided in-depth tips on

Figure 1: PMI (Project Management Institute) Event

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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how to highlight a student’s strongest assets so that an employer is given the best

possible first impression. Jeff brought industry perspective and details for the

Information Systems field. We provided tips on how to perfect one’s “elevator speech.”

We also highlighted key factors that employers are looking for and the value of ISYS

majors and minors in the marketplace.

Another event that we hosted during the year involved an IT specialist named

Todd Cox. Mr. Cox is a small business owner and IT specialist who helps run the IT for

local companies. He demonstrated to the students how important it was to maintain

confidence and ease customers through conversations related to systems requirements

and development.

Every semester we host a series of multi-level Excel workshops. For many

undergraduate business programs, providing ongoing Excel training and practice is a

challenge. AIS recognized this need at Walton College and decided to create a curriculum

to teach Intermediate and Advanced skills in Excel. Pivot tables, V-lookup, Subtotaling,

Conditional Formatting, Slicers, Macros and more are addressed during four installments

of training that are two hours in duration each.

The Northwest Arkansas Project Management Institute gave us street-level

insights into day-to-day project activities and tactics. These were just some of the key

events that we hosted during the year. A full list of events held can be found in “Metrics

and Demographics” on page 14.

Figure 2: Fall 2014 Intermediate Excel Workshop

COMMUNITY SERVICE

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Community Service

CHRISTMAS FOOD DRIVE

For the Fall 2014 Semester, we initialized our annual food drive. This food drive consisted

of members creating and decorating donation drop-off boxes to be placed throughout

Walton College’s various buildings. The proceeds went to the local Salvation Army as well

as the Full Circle Pantry, a food bank on campus.

EXCEL WORKSHOP

These events consisted of 3 levels of topics: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. This

workshop is a part of our Professional Development Certificate. It was interesting to us

that, although advertising for this event was internal to Walton College, we had a few

employees from Tyson Foods attend. They had heard about the event from their daughter

and were looking to pick up a few more Excel tricks and tips.

LOOKING AHEAD

We hope to broaden our sights in the community and team up with the Fayetteville Public

Library (FPL) to create a set of events designed to educate and empower citizens through

the use of computer software and social media trainings. Relationships have already been

formed with the outreach personnel at FPL, and we look forward next year’s to including

opportunities where AIS members can share their computer skills and knowledge the

Fayetteville community through this joint venture with FPL.

FUNDRAISING

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Fundraising

The AIS Student Chapter at the University of Arkansas has been entirely funded by

industry sponsors and by the Department of Information Systems at the Sam M. Walton

College of Business. To this point, we have not so much as collected even dues from our

members. The only fundraising event proposed by the leadership this past year was an

AIS t-shirt initiative. We marketed these shirts at cost ($ 15.00 per shirt) but as of this

writing, the only shirts known to be in circulation are those that are worn by AIS Officers.

Obviously, this is an opportunity to increase the visibility of AIS on campus. For that

reason, the current leadership recommends that a more concerted effort be made to

promote t-shirts. Furthermore, the future leadership is encouraged to create their “AIS at

Walton” t-shirts – perhaps it can be an annual tradition; an iterative model for t-shirt

design and production, if you will.

As a further consideration, since the University of Arkansas chapter of AIS is so fortunate

to have consistent funding, perhaps future AIS leadership teams might create fundraising

efforts that would benefit the surrounding community. It had been stated many times in

the past year that community service was an area that this chapter wished to expand its

capabilities and efforts. For that reason, the outgoing leadership strongly encourages

future AIS leaders at Walton to think of those in need around them, and to focus some of

AIS’s energy in that direction.

Ultimately, we AIS leaders at the University of Arkansas humbly acknowledge that we

could not have done what we have this past year without the support of some key

financial supporters. To that point, we extend our deepest thanks and appreciation to

Conoco Phillips, Phillips 66 and the Sam M. Walton College of Business Department of

Information Systems for their support and faith is us.

MEMBERSHIP

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Membership

Total Members: 35

RECRUITMENT

Methods of recruitment for our organization has been, but not limited to:

Walton Block Party

o Organizations and clubs of the Walton College set informational booths along

the courtyard to recruit membership and give information about their

organization. Free food, games, music, and freebies are included.

Class Presentations

o Members of leadership visit ISYS courses and give an informational

presentation about the benefits of membership within AIS.

Kick- Off Events

o At the beginning of each semester we will hold a “kick-off” event to socialize

and inform current members about upcoming events.

Advertising

o Create flyers for events and display them along high traffic areas within the

Walton College and within ISYS classrooms.

Networking

o We encourage members of leadership to get the word out about AIS by talking

to classroom peers, friends, and utilizing social media.

INVOLVEMENT

To keep members involved we like to provide them with events that benefit them for

their future careers. These events include professional development workshops,

company networking events, computer skills workshops, volunteer opportunities, and

social events. By providing them with opportunities for personal and professional

development members will be more willing to participate and continue their

membership with AIS. To communicate these events to our members we use email, flyers,

bi-weekly updates, and Facebook.

COMMUNICATIONS

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Communications

The AIS chapter at the University of Arkansas utilized many channels of communication

in the past year. The key modes of communication to internal constituents included

digital flyers and newsletters sent from the AIS exchange email at Walton, paper flyers

posted on the business campus, and notices on the AIS chapter Facebook page

(University of Arkansas AIS). External constituents (those who are not currently

identified as members) received occasional communication via the Walton College

listserv, the Career Center’s Leadership Walton Weekly Update, LCD screens throughout

campus administered by Advertise At Walton, and also through our Chalk-The-Walk

advertising initiative. One further initiative, and perhaps our most successful in terms of

recruiting new members, was the rotational classroom visit program. Officers would

solicit the permission of ISYS professors in order to give a two minute presentation on

AIS to freshman and sophomore ISYS classes. While very effective, this initiative was hard

to consistently maintain mainly because officers’ class and work schedules made these

class visits somewhat prohibitive.

Digital communication was directed to internal

constituents on roughly a bi-weekly basis. The

President issued a monthly (and often bi-weekly)

email serial, “AIS News & Events.” Approximately

two weeks prior to scheduled events, Officers

created, printed and posted flyers and distributed

a digital flyer through Advertise At Walton. Finally,

two to three days prior to events, Officers used

colored chalk to write the name, date and location

of events on sidewalks through the business campus.

Given the fact that this was a “formation” year for the AIS chapter at the University of

Arkansas, we feel satisfied with the fact that the Walton community was consistently

being made aware of the presence and operations of AIS. Furthermore, the relatively

consistent event attendance (approx. 14-23) evidences a core of members that are

committed to AIS chapter involvement.

Figure 3: Communication Example

CAREERS IN “IS”

Page 9

Careers in “IS”

Providing students an entrance into a career in Information Systems is a key goal to our

chapter and our organization. We strive to give our members many different outlets to

many different companies so that they may have more choices to better fit a company’s

culture and match their skills to the best fit. Throughout the year inviting companies,

local and worldwide, to host information sessions exclusively to our members so that

they can have a more intimate communication from student to recruiter is our most used

and valued avenue.

One of the events that we host involved inviting recruiters from Phillips 66, the

Fortune 500 crude oil specialist. During this event our members were given a look into

firsthand experience with Phillips 66 as a company and the culture that surrounds them.

They were also informed of the current state of the crude oil industry and how that

affects the common user. Then our members were briefed with internship opportunities

and career openings with Phillips 66 in their IT division. The members were given a

chance to ask about these positions and have a closer conversation with the recruiters

themselves so that they may fair better throughout the hiring process.

Figure 4: Phillips 66 Event Flyer

Another event that we hosted involved touring the Walmart Innovation Lab.

During this session we drove to Walmart’s main campus in Bentonville, AR and our

members were given an exclusive opportunity to see some of the innovations that

Walmart is embracing in their business. From 3D printers to robotic stockers our

CAREERS IN “IS”

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members could look and ask questions about these projects that were being utilized. This

gives the members a look into some of the projects that they may be able to participate in

throughout their careers and an upper hand through questions with those working on

the projects themselves. This event also gave our members a chance to network with

those in the IT and innovation industry so that they may have contacts and advisors for

future reference.

These were some just a

few of the events that we

provided our members

with. These events gave

our members a firsthand

looking into a career in

Information Systems and

the many positions that

they may choose as a

career. These events also

aloud our members

intimate and personal

relationships with the

recruiters themselves so

that they may

differentiate themselves

from other students

whenever they are seeking a career or an internship.

Figure 5: AIS at Walmart’s Innovation Laboratory, Bentonville, AR

CHAPTER OPERATIONS

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Chapter Operations

Officer Positions:

President: Radclyffe George

Vice Presidents of Operations: Michael Ma & Calvin Carl

Treasurer: Ted Cunningham

Secretary: vacant

Vice President of Professional Community Development: Marlo Gohla

Vice President of Membership Development: Madison Wall

Vice President of Sophomore Relations: Rupal Bohra

Vice President of Freshman Relations: vacant

Weekly Leadership Meetings:

Throughout the year, the leadership team met weekly to discuss objectives, planning, and

opportunities. The meetings have proved beneficial to our organization’s success with

events both on- and off-campus.

Monthly Member Meetings:

These meetings are aimed at providing AIS members insight to possible internships or

other job opportunities through local and regional companies coming to visit.

Google Drive:

The officer-shared Drive is the hub for all organization information. Through this, each

officer has access to every essential document, from meeting minutes to membership

data to flyers for each scheduled member event.

CHAPTER OPERATIONS

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Dues:

The Information Systems Department provided funding for our annual dues. It’s a

gracious gift to allow all interested students the ability to join as a member.

BUDGET/FINANCIAL STATEMENT

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Budget/Financial Statement

The University of Arkansas AIS treats each school year as a fiscal period due in part to

our officer transition at the end of the spring semester. From this, we only have one

statement. The funds allocated are towards causes to spread the awareness of AIS on the

campus of the University of Arkansas, conducting weekly meetings, socials, and

professional development. To make sure our financials are always current, the University

of Arkansas AIS Chapter maintains monthly account summaries to track revenues and

expenses incurred throughout the school year.

REVENUE

DATE DESCRIPTION TOTALS

ConocoPhillips Donation $1,500.00

Phillips 66 Donation $1,500.00

AIS Travel Scholarship Award 150.00

TOTAL REVENUE $3,150.00

EXPENSES

DATE DESCRIPTION TOTALS

11-18-14 IT Communication $178.63

1-28-15 Information Meeting on AIS $149.80

3-3-15 Phillips 66 Meeting $240.90

4-9-15 – 4-11-15 AIS Conference (Birmingham, AL) $1553.80

4-15-15 Koch Information Meeting $52.62

4-22-15 Officer Transition Meeting $141.75

TOTAL EXPENSES $2,317.50

CONSOLIDATED ANNUAL CHANGE IN FUNDS

FALL 2014 – SPRING 2015

Beginning Balance (August 2014) $3,704.51

+ Revenue received (August 2014- May 2015) $3,150.00

- Expenses incurred (August 2014 – May 2015) $2,317.50

Ending Balance (May 2015) $4,537.01

METRICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS

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Metrics and Demographics

1. Total members and breakdown (breakdown by class level not available)

2. Number of meetings held: 13

3. Average Attendance: 15

4. Event/Activities held

a. Career Fair Readiness (9-25-14)

i. Attendance: 19

ii. Description: resume help, how to approach an employer,

elevator speeches, do’s and don’ts of interviews.

b. Christmas Food Drive (11-11-14)

i. Attendance: 9

ii. Description: built donation boxes so that students could

donate canned goods for the needy.

c. Communication Skills Workshop (11-18-14)

i. Attendance: 13

ii. Description: communication skills and customer service.

d. ConocoPhillips Information Session (10-28-14)

i. Attendance: 25

ii. Description: An information session where recruiters from

ConocoPhillips informed our members of the open IT positions they

are seeking and existing internships with the company.

e. Excel Advanced Workshop (11-9-14)

i. Attendance: 12

METRICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS

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ii. Description: a workshop dedicated to teaching students on

the advanced techniques of Excel information analysis.

f. Excel Intermediate Workshop (10-26-14)

i. Attendance: 10

ii. Description: a workshop dedicated to teaching students on

the intermediate techniques of Excel information analysis.

g. Phillips 66 Information Session (3-3-15)

i. Attendance: 17

ii. Description: An information session dedicated to inform

members of open opportunities with Phillips 66 along with the

history of the oil industry and how Phillips 66 is utilizing IT in this

industry.

h. Northwest Arkansas Project Management Institute Event (12-4-14)

i. Attendance: 15

ii. Description: During this session we discussed Project

Management and its impact in today’s business world, the processes

and challenges of current project management practices, and agile

approach methods.

i. Samsung Technology Presentation (2-18-15)

i. Attendance: 19

ii. Description: During this event Samsung representatives discussed

new innovations and ideas in their business sector and emerging

mobile technologies.

j. Spring Semester Kickoff (1-28-15)

i. Attendance: 17

METRICS AND DEMOGRAPHICS

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ii. Description: During this event we discussed with our

member upcoming events we had planned for the year, guest

speakers we were presenting, and company site visits.

k. Walmart Innovation Lab (2-19-15)

i. Attendance: 6

ii. Description: This event involved traveling to Walmart’s main

campus in Bentonville, AR and getting a look into emerging

technologies that Walmart is embracing in order to improve their

business processes.

l. Koch Enterprises (4-15-15)

i. Attendance: 16

ii. Description: A networking event where representatives

from Koch Industries’ Wichita, KS office discussed growth and

opportunities at the company.

m. Arkadia Retrocade – Nite-Out with AIS! (4-30-15)

i. Attendance: 15

ii. Description: A social event at a local working 80’s style

arcade that houses over 100 video games.