UA WALTON COLLEGE HONORS OUTSTANDING ALUMNI, STUDENTS, FACULTY AND STAFF

Dedicated Honors Banquet to Memory of William T. Dillard, Sr.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas dedicated its ninth annual honors banquet to the memory of one of its outstanding alumni, William T. Dillard, Sr., founder of Dillard’s Inc.

The event, which also celebrated the Walton College’s 75th anniversary, was held last night at the Northwest Arkansas Convention Center in Springdale.

Dillard passed away on Feb. 8. His three sons, Bill II, Alex, and Mike attended the event. He was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame in 1999. In 1998, he received the Walton College’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Dillard graduated in 1935 at the young age of 20 from the College of Business Administration (now the Walton College) with a degree in accounting. Today, Dillard’s has 340 stores, 2,800 employees, and sales of $8.7 billion.

In addition, the Walton College honored three other distinctive alumni: Mary Ann Greenwood, president and chief investment advisor, M.A. Greenwood & Associates, Inc., Fayetteville, for her "Outstanding Service" to the Walton College; Joe T. Hays, managing partner, Diamond State Ventures, Little Rock, as the "Entrepreneur of the Year"; and Norma Lea Beasley, chairman and CEO, SafeCo Land Title Company of Dallas, for her "Lifetime Achievement";

Dean Doyle Z. Williams said, "We have chosen these alumni because they exemplify the very essence of what we are trying to teach our students. Their accomplishments provide inspiration to the students as well as to our faculty and staff."

Greenwood received her BSBA in finance and banking in 1962, an MA in economics in 1972 and Ph.D. in economics and finance in 1979 from the College of Business Administration. In 1982, she established M.A. Greenwood & Associates, a fee-only investment advisory firm. She not only serves on the Walton College’s Dean's Executive Advisory Board and the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame Selection Committee, but also on the UA Campaign for the Twenty-First Century Steering Committee, the UA National Development Council and as vice chair of the UA Foundation. For seven years, she has played an instrumental role in attracting nationally known economists to the College’s Business Forecast luncheon.

Hays graduated from the College of Business Administration in 1981 with honors. He joined the management-training program of Gulf Oil Corporation and became a financial and systems analyst. In 1986, he completed the MBA program at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He began working with Arkansas Capital Corporation in 1997 on the development and start up of Diamond State Ventures, a venture capital fund providing capital with equity features to small businesses in Arkansas and throughout the region, and the Capital Resource Corporation (CRC).

Beasley has played a tremendous leadership role in shaping the commercial and residential real estate profession in Texas. A native of Springdale, Beasley attended the College of Business Administration for three years before she entered the UA School of Law where she received a Bachelor of Law and Laws in 1953 and a Bachelor of Science in Law in 1960. She continued her graduate studies at Southern Methodist University in oil and gas and taxation. In 1978, she realized her dream of her own title company by purchasing the Dallas branch of SafeCo Title Company in 1978. By 1979, she and her partners owned a dozen offices. She was inducted into the Texas Women’s Hall of Fame in 1999. She received the University of Arkansas' Citation of Distinguished Alumni Award in 1986 and was a major donor in the campaign to preserve Old Main. She founded the Norma Lea Beasley Endowed Scholarship in the Walton College for senior women with the highest academic achievement in real estate.

OUSTANDING WALTON COLLEGE STUDENT AWARDS

The Walton College’s outstanding undergraduate senior awards include: Accounting — Erin Burris and Tiffany Woolley; Economics — Daniel Hazman; Finance — Vassela Kapoulian, Michael Reynolds and Brad Runsick; Information Systems — Lisa Adkins, Brandy Gentry and Archie "Frank" Warren III; Marketing and Transportation - Megan Boyd, Karen Lain, John Pillow, Christy Scott, and Ashley Younger; Robert D. Hay Senior Management Scholars — Lindsay Barton and Justin Elrod; and Ralph Treat Outstanding Cooperative Student Awards — John Collins.

The Sam M. Walton Student Leadership award was given to Erin Walker.

Graduate student awards include: Master of Business Administration — Stacy Emerson Griffin; Master of Accountancy — David Schmill; Master of Arts in Economics — Bo Chen; Master of Information Systems — Gregory Dorne; and Master of Transportation and Logistics - Michael "Doug" Voss.

University of Arkansas and Walton College student awards, which will also be recognized at the University-wide ceremonies tonight, include: First-ranked Senior Scholars — Lindsay Barton, Jamie Bowen, Marsida Saraci, Christy Scott, Terri Turner and Tiffany Woolley. These students competed all of their course work at the U of A with a GPA of 4.0. Senior Scholars include: Lisa Adkins and Pam Lane. These seniors have been enrolled at the University for at least four semesters and have a GPA of 4.0. Erin Walker received the Beta Gamma Sigma award and Christina Scherrey received the Presidential award.

The Walton College’s Outstanding Graduating Senior is Tiffany Woolley.

OUTSTANDING WALTON COLLEGE FACULTY AND STAFF

Williams recognized the outstanding Walton College faculty and staff for the 2001-2002 academic. He said, "It takes the combined efforts of all our faculty and our staff to provide these students with the best business education possible. We are grateful for all of their work this year to produce a top graduating class."

Charles R. Britton, professor of economics, received the "All Around Faculty" award for excelling in teaching, research and service. The "Excellent in Teaching" award was given to Molly Rapert, associate professor of marketing, for her personal involvement and direction in the classroom. The "Excellence in Research" award was presented to John E. Delery, associate professor of management, for consistently publishing in top journals. Janet Renwick, clinical assistant professor in information systems, received the "Excellence in Advising" award for her excellent work in helping students with their schedules. The "Excellence in Service" award went to David Gay, professor of economics, for his service to the College and to his profession on a national and international level. Scott Smith received the "Outstanding Graduate Assistant" award for excellence in teaching and research.

Williams recognized nine faculty members for their length of service to the Walton College and the University of Arkansas: 10 years of service - Marinus J. Bouwan, the Ralph McQueen Chair of Accounting; John E. Delery, associate professor of management; Michael Carter, clinical assistant professor of finance; and Steve Kopp, associate professor of marketing. 20 Years of Service - Mary S. Alguire, instructor in information systems; Thomas D. Jensen, chair of the department of marketing and transportation and Wal-Mart Lecturer in Retailing; and Larry G. Perry, associate professor of finance. 30 Years of Service: James A. Millar, the Dillard Dept. Store Chair in Corporate Finance; and John T. Todd, professor of management

The Walton College Major Contribution Award went to Susan Bristow, conference coordinator for the Center for Management and Executive Development and facilities coordinator for the Reynolds Center. Bristow joined the College six years ago. The Superior Staff Service Award went to Susan Yell, administrative assistant in the International Business Studies. Yell joined the University of Arkansas in 1976 and will receive a 25-year service award this year.

The Walton College "Outstanding Team" award went to the Undergraduate Program Committee. The team has developed an innovative approach to the curriculum, which will give students a broad, integrated view of business. Lead by Associate Dean Bill Curington, team members include Marinus J. Bowman, Amy Farmer, Nina Gupta, Scott O'Leary-Kelly, John Ozment, Larry Perry, and student, Erin Walker. The "High Performance Team" award went to the Office of External Relations. External Relations raises the College’s private gift support and manages the constituent relations, special events and communications. Director of Development Robin Baldwin heads the team, which includes: Nancy Hart, Dixie Kline, Teresa McLoud, Wendy Taylor, Jackie McCoskey, Marcella Mika, and intern Tiffany Kelley.

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