In a packed Williams Lecture Hall, GCU broadcast its very first live simulcast last night when President Emeritus of Southwest Airlines Colleen Barrett spoke about the well-known culture of the airline and how they make the simple act of following the golden rule work in a major corporate setting. “We are extremely excited to have someone like Colleen take the time to be here tonight,” said KBCOB Dean Kevin Barksdale during introductions. “We are also excited to be able to offer the live simulcast for the very first time so that those who could not be here tonight can still participate.”

How does a nonprofit organization manage to stay in business and continue to grow and thrive even in a recession? “You have to think of it not as a charity, but as a business,” says Jim Teter, CEO of Goodwill of Central Arizona, who spoke at this month’s CEO Lecture Series in Ethington Theatre on Wednesday morning. Goodwill originally started as a mission of the Methodist Church to help people with disabilities find jobs. Today, it has expanded to help all types of people find work, from those who have a disability to those who have been unemployed for more than a year or lack certain skill sets.

Five presenters offered a wide range of insights on the topic of service in papers presented orally Thursday at the sixth annual Delta Mu Delta Honors Symposium at the Ken Blanchard College of Business. “From a business perspective, service is something we sell,” said Dr. Kevin McClean, the symposium’s coordinator and host. “But there are other perspectives on service.” Here’s a summary of what was presented, in order, at the 90-minute symposium, held in the Williams Building lecture hall.

The new Colangelo School of Sports Business kicked off with a bang Wednesday night as it hosted its first event, a panel discussion involving four sports business owners who successfully started their own companies in a competitive field. Moderated by KTAR sportscaster Paul Calvisi, the panel answered questions that sports business students had submitted earlier, offering both business and sports advice based on experience at turning ideas into fully functioning strategies.

By Doug Carroll
Communications Staff
Looking for a good stockbroker in a down economy? One capable of getting you a 344 percent return on your investment portfolio? 
Here’s a tip: Call the firm of Dalquist, Herberg, Kernagis & …

In today’s tough economic times, it’s hard to stay positive, especially for leaders in the business world. But that is exactly what Dr. Ken Blanchard says is the most important thing for today’s leaders. “You have to be the bearers of hope,” Blanchard told a packed Ethington Theatre at Friday morning’s CEO Lecture Series, put on in partnership with AZ Business Magazine. “That doesn’t mean you have to be deceitful or not tell the truth about what’s going on. But if you aren’t positive, your people won’t be positive.”

Grand Canyon University entered into a partnership Tuesday with one of the most powerful and respected sports executives in the country as it formally announced the creation of a Jerry Colangelo School of Sports Business. The school will be part of the Ken Blanchard College of Business at the University, with its enrollment expected to grow as high as 1,000 students in five years under the direction of Dr. Brian C. Smith, a former basketball player at the University of New Mexico. More than 300 students currently are sports business majors at GCU, which created the major in mid-2010 — the only one of its kind in Arizona.

“There’s no way one person can do it all.” That was the theme of Thursday’s talk by Brig. Gen. Jerry D. Harris Jr., the guest speaker at this month’s CEO Lecture Series put on by GCU in partnership with AZ Business magazine. As commander of the 56th Fighter Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Harris’ job is to train F-16 pilots and maintainers while deploying mission-ready warfighters for the largest fighter wing in the U.S. Air Force.

GCU students, staff, faculty and alumni are invited to submit papers on the topic of Service for the fall honors symposium sponsored by the Eta Chi Chapter of the national honor society Delta Mu Delta. The deadline for submissions is Oct. 17. The symposium will be held at KBCOB during the week of Dec. 5.

Are you in business? Meet your dean! Dr. Kevin Barksdale is a businessman Monday through Friday, but you can find him racing high speeds on his motorcycle in his free time. No doubt your education …