In the Spotlight

WMU’s MBA program has risen in U.S. News and World Report’s part-time MBA program ranking to No. 101 in the country and No. 2 in the state of Michigan. The ranking is derived from a combination of statistical surveys that institutions submit and reputational surveys that are sent to administrators in each discipline area. The recently revised MBA curriculum, paired with HyFlex courses that can be taken in person or online, has resulted in increased student satisfaction and growing MBA enrollment.

Josie Thomas received a competitive $10,000 scholarship from the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board for the 2023-24 academic year. Thomas used the award to propel her accounting career forward by pursuing her Master of Science in Accountancy at WMU Haworth. Additionally, she was able to use her extra year of eligibility to compete as a Bronco gymnast. She has passed all sections of the CPA exam and begins full-time employment at BDO in Kalamazoo in summer 2024.

Noah Hahn received the Michigan Accountancy Foundation Final Year Scholarship at the close of the 2022-23 academic year. The $5,000 scholarship not only rewarded how Hahn excelled in his coursework, but also the mark he made outside the classroom. He was a member of the National Association of Black Accountants student organization beginning in 2019 and served as president from 2020 to 2023. After graduation, he began his Master of Science in Accountancy at WMU Haworth.

Sales students won top honors at Arizona State University’s Collegiate Sales Competition. The Western team, made up of Parker Bidelman, Piper Berg, Aleksander Slotwinski and Ellen Worobec, won first place overall. Berg placed first in sales role-play, winning $1,000, while Worobec and Slotwinski placed third in the marketing team presentation, winning $750. Hosted by Arizona State University, the competition featured Western and 14 other schools that are recognized for their student sales talent.

A team of four students from the supply chain management program, comprised of Marley Miller, Ainsley Rahm, Bryan Hagenbarth and Keaton Peyser, earned first place at Colorado State University’s Rams Operation Stimulus Supply Chain Case Competition. The Haworth College of Business team edged out 17 teams from across the nation, including Michigan schools like Central Michigan University, Grand Valley State University and Wayne State University.

Natalie Ferriell, a finance major, received a $5,000 international scholarship from DECA. The Anderson Business Advisors Scholarship was awarded to just two college students in 2024. Involved in DECA during high school, Ferriell decided to continue participating at the collegiate level. At the Michigan DECA State Career Development Conference, she placed first in the corporate finance individual case study event and in the top six in the sports marketing team case study event.

The Sales Education Foundation is sold on Western Michigan University, naming the sales and business marketing program to its listing of top sales programs in the country for the 16th consecutive year. The organization uses data from universities and colleges to determine which institutions are ultimately included on its list. The WMU program boasts that 100% of sales and business marketing graduates felt their education and experiences as a student at WMU prepared them for their profession, according to the 2022-23 WMU Career Outcomes Report, which can be found at wmich.edu/about/facts.

Cameron Musser placed first in sales role-play at the State Farm Marketing and Sales Competition and earned $3,000 in prize money. Musser and fellow student TJ Devries competed against teams from eight other universities at the event. Western has been dominant in the role-play category of the competition for many years. “Selling isn’t how it’s portrayed in popular culture,” says Musser. “It’s about being a good listener and showing buyers that you can solve challenges that they are experiencing in their lives.”