Student Life at MCCB

The American Marketing Association (AMA) Chapter at the University of North Georgia offers programming to support and assist college marketing students educationally and professionally. Take advantage of AMA collegiate membership and its benefits, programs, and career resources. At hundreds of chapters on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada, over 12,000 AMA collegiate members have the opportunity to participate in AMA events and programs. We are affiliated with the Atlanta AMA chapter and the AMA chapters at UGA, Georgia State, and Emory. The collegiate conference each spring provides a marketing job fair and showcases expert speakers in the field of marketing – a great opportunity for aspiring marketers, especially for upperclassmen in the marketing major!

For more information on the AMA in the Mike Cottrell College of Business here at UNG, contact any Marketing faculty member.

Beta Alpha Psi is the international honorary and service organization for accounting and finance students. Beta Alpha Psi provides (a) opportunities for developing technical and professional skills to complement the business curriculum within the Mike Cottrell College of Business, (b) participation in University community and regional community service, and (c) extensive interaction among students, faculty, and financial information professionals.

Members must attain and maintain a cumulative major and overall GPA of at least 3.0 and engage regularly in professional development and community service activities. Beta Alpha Psi events are open to all students.

Participation in Beta Alpha Psi events allow students to earn the meritorious Certificate of Professional Development in the Mike Cottrell College of Business even if they do not meet the GPA requirements for full Beta Alpha Psi membership.

For more information on the University of North Georgia Chapter of Beta Alpha Psi, contact faculty advisor Ms. Martha Merritt.

Beta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.

Last semester, juniors and seniors in the top 10% of the class were invited to join. Students are given the opportunity to hold leadership positions and participate in activities that further academic achievement in the study of business.

For more information contact Katie Simmons, Associate Dean for Students and Undergraduate Programs.

The Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC) system provides institutions with an information assurance or computer security curriculum a controlled, competitive environment to assess their student’s depth of understanding and operational competency in managing the challenges inherent in protecting a corporate network infrastructure and business information systems.

This competitive environment asks student teams to assume administrative and protective duties for an existing “commercial” network. Each team begins with identical hardware and software and is scored on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats, maintain availability of existing services, respond to business requests such as the addition or removal of additional services, and balance security needs against business needs.

To get involved on UNG’s CCDC team, contact Dr. Bryson Payne.

The Cottrell Scholars program in the Mike Cottrell College of Business is designed to reward and recognize top-performing students within the College.

The Cottrell Scholars program places an emphasis on student involvement in addition to outstanding performance in the classroom. Scholars are encouraged to become active members of professional organizations and honor societies as well as take advantage of opportunities for professional development and personal growth. In order to remain a member of the Cottrell Scholars, students must complete 24 service hours divided equally between community service, service to the university and professional experiences.

During the fall and spring semesters, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the Mike Cottrell College of Business hosts the Cottrell Speaker Series which welcomes leaders in business and industry to interact and speak to students about their experiences. During these events, speakers visit one of UNG’s campuses to discuss their business expertise and participate in a private reception with administrators, faculty and students from the Mike Cottrell College of Business. Previous participants include Cinnabon president and Undercover Boss participant Kat Cole, Atlanta Falcons president Rich McKay, Cloud Sherpas co-founder Michael Cohn, Twitter industry director Brent Herd and many others.

Enactus is a community of student, academic, and business leaders committed to using the power of entrepreneurial action to transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world.

Guided by academic advisors and business experts, the student leaders of Enactus create and implement community empowerment projects around the globe. The experience not only transforms lives but also helps students develop the kind of talent and perspective that are essential to leadership in an ever-more complicated and challenging world.

Participation in Enactus provides students within the Mike Cottrell College of Business the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in local, regional, and international communities, while gaining experience, skills, and contacts necessary for their career.

In addition to these learning opportunities, students in the Mike Cottrell College of Business have a long-standing track record of success in the regional and national competitions of Enactus.

The UNG Enactus team has won over 60 Regional and National awards, including Regional Champion and placement in the National Championship for the past 20 years.

In 2009, the UNG Enactus team was named one of the top 5 teams in the USA, China, and France in Teaching Financial Literacy by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. Team members were recognized at an Awards Dinner at the World Cup held in Berlin, Germany.

Most recently, the Enactus team earned a top-30 finish in the quarterfinal round at the U.S. National Championship in Cincinnati, placing first-runner-up to the eventual national champion. The team was also named one of three finalists in the Wal-Mart's Women's Empowerment Project Partnership and one of the top eight finalists in the Campbell's Let's Can Hunger Project Partnership.

For more information about the Mike Cottrell College of Business Enactus team contact Katie Simmons.

Hundreds of college students in teams across the United States and Canada compete in 10 Regional Ethics Bowl competitions each fall. The teams argue and defend their moral assessment of some of the most troubling and complex ethical issues facing society today. Questions address a wide array of topics in business and professional ethics, in personal relationships, and in social and political affairs. The competition focuses on selected cases developed by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics. In the competitions, students demonstrate their ability to:

• understand the facts of the case;
• understand principles involved in the case;
• present an effective argument on how the case should be resolved;
• and, respond effectively to challenges put forth by the opposing teams as well as the panel of expert judges.

Former Ethics Bowl students consider this one of their most important college activities and one that they carry forward into their professional and personal lives.

For more information or to get involved, contact Rose Procter.

Based on the Dahlonega campus, the “Codin’ Nighthawks” compete regionally at ACM and CCSC events. At these events, students are prevented with a programming problem and asked to correct or complete the task in a given time frame. For more information on this competitive team, please contact Dr. Dianna Spence or Dr. Bryson Payne in the department of computer science and information systems.

The Mike Cottrell College of Business Student Advisory Council is composed of undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the B.A.S., B.B.A., and M.B.A. programs. Students on the Council are selected to achieve equitable representation of the following:

• Each major in the College
• Each business student organization
• Commuter and residential students
• Corp and non-corp students
• Dahlonega, Gainesville, and Forsyth campuses

The Student Advisory Council meets with the Dean and other faculty at least once a year to provide input and suggestions for improving programs and services to students across all campuses.