Author: James Schisler

The Frank Barton School of Business has awarded Isabella (Bella) Kilman, a senior from Valley Center High School, the 2023 Clay Barton Scholarship. The $50,000 scholarship is one of the largest business scholarships in Kansas.

Kilman, who plans to major in marketing, was named the 2023 Barton Scholar after competing against numerous other high school seniors in a series of speeches, group exercises and other activities.

Along with securing a perfect 4.0 GPA, Kilman is involved in cheer, DECA, Principal’s Advisory Council and Site Council at Valley Center. She also works as the business development intern with the USD 262 communication office. She will begin taking classes at WSU in fall 2023.

The Barton School recently spoke with Maley Hansen, senior at Wichita North High School and future Barton School of Business student, who was named one of three 2023 Gore Scholars. She plans to double major in business administration and statistics.

More than 480 high school seniors from all over the country competed in this year’s Distinguished Scholarship Invitational to become Gore Scholars. Maley will receive a $64,000 scholarship to attend Wichita State University in August 2023. She is only the fourth North High student to receive the scholarship, which was established in 1954.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business has named Stephanie Cockrell as its new director of graduate programs. In the role, Cockrell will work to define and execute strategies to increase enrollment and retention as well as deliver robust experiences for graduate students. This includes study-abroad programs as well as experiential education and applied leadership opportunities.

Cockrell will also lead all recruiting marketing and communication activities for graduate degree programs. Her first day in her new position was Jan. 23.

Prior to her role with the Barton School, Cockrell served as the assistant director for First-Year Programs at WSU’s Office of Student Success. During her time, she received her Master’s of Business Administration from the Barton School with a concentration in marketing.

Tanvir Arfi, founder, chairman and CEO of Banyan Technologies Group, will provide a keynote presentation, “Future of Human Mobility: Electric Vehicles, Autonomous Vehicles and Emerging Technologies,” as part of the James Schwartz Lecture Series.

The keynote event will be at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 16 in the Woolsey Hall auditorium.

Doors open at 10:45 a.m. All are welcome to attend the event.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business announces that Tanvir Arfi, founder, chairman and CEO of Banyan Technologies Group, has been named the spring 2023 executive-in-residence. Residents provide Barton School students, faculty and the Wichita community vital perspectives and knowledge from industry leaders.

In this role, Arfi will provide mentorship opportunities to students, exchange ideas with Barton School faculty and host a conversation with business leaders. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bangalore University and a master’s degree from WSU.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business has hired three new faculty members, all of whom bring a wide breadth of industry knowledge and innovative research to their departments.

• Justin Keeler, clinical associate professor of business analytics: Before joining the world of academia, Keeler spent 15 years in corporate analytics and finance leadership, as well as small business ownership.
• Murtaza Nasir, assistant professor of business analytics: As a former manager and entrepreneur in various industries, Nasir is a proponent of application and theory when it comes to academics.
• Mohammad Najjar, assistant professor of management information systems: Najjar joins the Barton School after eight years of teaching experience and five years of practical experience in systems analysis and development.

The Barton School of Business has appointed Mel Whiteside as the inaugural executive director of the school’s Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD).

The new OCPD was announced in fall 2022 along with a $540,000 gift from Meritrust Credit Union to expand the career efforts of the Barton School. Many of the college’s career programs are now housed within OCPD including Executive-in-Residence, Entrepreneur-in-Residence, Widener Global Leaders Program, Professional Edge and others.

Whiteside has more than 15 years of higher education experience and more than 20 years of private industry experience with FlightSafety International, Koch Industries and others. He most recently served as the dean of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics at Butler Community College.

Wichita State alums Erin and Kyle Cummings have donated $250,000 to launch the W. Frank Barton School of Business Student-Managed Investment Fund.

The generous contribution will provide students with new applied learning opportunities as they invest real money in stocks, bonds and more. The remaining $250,000 will be reallocated from existing WSU Foundation and Alumni Engagement (WSUFAE) investments to support this initiative.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business is pleased to announce that Tanvir Arfi — founder, chairman and CEO of Banyan Technologies Group — joined School’s Dean’s Advisory Board.

Arfi launched Banyan Technologies Group, a B2B services and software company, in 2018. He has also served as CEO for several automotive aftermarket, OEM services and technology businesses. While serving as president of Solera Holdings, Arfi worked on Solera’s $6.5 billion public-to-private transaction in 2016. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bangalore University in India and a master’s degree from Wichita State University. He currently resides in the greater Dallas area with his family.

The W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University and WSU Tech have named scholarship recipients who are participating in a joint pathway program.

• Jessica Cristobal, accounting
• Colton West, IT/MIS
• Mia LeClaire, entrepreneurship
• Simon Uhrig, business administration

The Barton School and WSU Tec have contributed $28,000 in scholarships for WSU Tech students committed to continuing their education with a business degree. The scholarships will be awarded equally to five students over the next two years.

As members of the Shocker Pathway program, these scholarship recipients also receive a unique educational opportunity. It is a coordinated 2+2 program, and students will earn an associate degree at WSU Tech during their first two years and a bachelor’s degree from the WSU Barton School after two more years.

Students will receive an integrated experience with the Barton School while completing their education at WSU Tech. The Barton School will provide career and professional development workshops, exposure to Barton School student clubs and organizations, and invitations to special events and presentations to all in the program.