Wednesday May 10, 2017
Matt Lampert, Research Director, and Alyssa Hayden, Executive Director of the Socionomics Institute SI accepted my invitation to address our 2017 Student Research Symposium. In addition they made the very first donation collection ever and our school, Texas A & M University San Antonio was the chosen recipient.
Learn more about socionomics in as Dennis Interviews Matt Lampert, SI Research Director.
It was a whirlwind trip, and here it is frame by frame.
As the realtors like to say, there is no ‘I’ in the word team. That was the case for Matt and Alyssa’s visit this weekend. I will be posting photos on my blog with a similar narrative but wanted to thank everyone today. Matt sent me an e mail thanking all of us for literally ‘the best socionomic speaking tour in years.”
We began Friday morning by visiting Sherita Love and Janelle Cavazos. I expect we will be working on joint projects. So understanding out tech capabilities is a good thing. As always both ladies were knowledgeable and helpful, a great session.
Next we visited the Library for the ‘Official’ Donation Collection Photo. If I had written the script for that hour I could not have improved on the warm welcome Pru and the Library Gang put on for our guests. Pru even wrote a suitable for framing letter in appreciation for the donation. After photos and signing the required documents, our guests were given a fine tour of the facilities and equipment.
At right, Head Librarian Pru Morris, right, enjoy the moment for the donation by SI Executive Director Alyssa Hayden, left
Our librarians did a great job of designing the book mark designating the donation, don't you think?
Alyssa listens as TAMUSA Librarian Sarah Timm, Public Services Manager, explains all the features of our digital library.
Next stop was with Provost Mike O’Brien. Turns out he knew some of the faculty Alyssa had worked with at Oregon State in her graduate program. And as it happens, I had an evening meal in Atlanta at the Social Mood 2016 conference with Alex Bentley, Mike’s research partner. And Alex is has done research with the Socionomics Institute. Small world eh?
Donna Mcilveen from Aventine Hill joined us for a discussion about various topics. I am still not sure how Provost O’Brien got from Missouri to us but I sure am glad he did!
At far right, Matt engages in non verbal communication to make a point during our visit with Provost Mike O'Brien.
After lunch we had so many psychology students sign up to hear the presentation we moved it from a conference room to the Vista Room.
Now a special thanks to Jack Clickenbeard. The video set up in VISTA is completely different than in 419. But being the pro he is one would never have known that was the case. He quickly regrouped while simultaneously helping Alyssa get her computer set up to present. We are blessed that so many of you go above and beyond which again is why I am sharing this with all of you.
Friday’s presentation went well and the crowd easily filled half that large room. Good questions and answers followed. Oh, and we snagged a visitor from University of North Texas who drove all the way down to hear the presentation.
We were pleased to have several San Antonio Accounting Professionals in the audience.
Here is Donna McIlveen, Aventine Hill, at right with Susan Hough, PwC, and her husband David.Thanks for coming
A special thanks to Amy, Sam , and all the Psychology Professors who gave points for attending the presentation. And Matt had a good visit with Joe Simpson after wards. He had already been visiting prior to the meeting by e mail. Eve Lee and M D Rahman were on hand for the Friday event.
Fun Stuff
Here is Alyssa sharing a fun moment with two of our students.
Joe Simpson at right just won the Outstanding Teacher Award at our campus. No wonder he is sharing thoughts with Research Director Matt Lampert, what a team!
And yes, I also showed our guests the side of San Antonio most tourists miss. Thursday afternoon following the airport arrival, I whisked them to the McNay. Alyssa is an art buff and there is a French Impressionist exhibit there now. And the McNay is a perfect example of peak social mood. I made sure they visited the orientation room noting the construction was complete in September, 1929 right at the top of the 1920s bull market.
Saturday we stopped that afternoon at the San Jose Mission. How they built all that from scratch 300 years ago is a wonder.Most tourists go for the Alamo but it is but one remaining building. San Jose was re built to as close to original as possible by the WPA in the 1930s.
Saturday morning was jammed with visiting students displaying their research projects. I just saw Juliana and we will have a follow up meeting. We need to stagger display times as there just was not enough time to see and visit with all the students. Juliana was moving so fast both days she was a blur. I hereby award here the Radar O’Reily award as Our Girl Friday, she deserves it don’t you think!
Fun Photos
Attendees register in the rotunda.
Dr. Josephine Sosa-Fey and Lecturer Doug Carter inspect the program.
Doug, Josie, and Brent Snow, head of SRS Committee, enjoy the day. Even the weather cooperated which helped attendance.
Vicky Salazar in front of the poster she authored with Brenda Reyes.
This project examined turnover at the Big Four Firms versus regional firms grossing less than $10 M annually.
Alyssa and Matt examine various auto industry scandals with a student.
Matt, Alyssa, Brenda, and Vicky.
Rachel Shore conducted original research in the restaurant industry and explains the details to Matt.
Nicholas Forge (is that a great smile or what?) examined the unequal financing of Higher Ed in Texas.
Alyssa learns the Lucifer Effect form Gary Turner L and Nelson Thomas. As they put it, bad apples tend to
be found in bad barrels, their metaphor for a poor tone at the top.
Mark Goldman CEO of MGR Recruiters learned the results of the Baylor Football Scandal from Jessica Black at left and Iveth Rosales in the middle.
graduate students.
I suggested Gary and Nelson compare the Stanford Study on the Lucifer Effect to the actions of
Mike Milken at Drexel in the late 1980s. Gary and Nelson really got into the discussion with Alyssa and Matt.
Glenn Prochnow with USAA and current President of San Antonio Institute of Internal Auditors visits with Matt and Alyssa
on how USAA is looking to increase its risk assessment capabilities.
The team used the Baylor colors for their poster on the $250 M the school has been out as a result. Left to right that is
Jennifer Lopez, Jacqueline Aguillen, and Mark Goldman, great job ladies!
One of three teams that presented a power point.
A couple of real troopers, Matt and Alyssa listen intently to the presentation.
Erik Jasso suggested the markets are topping in the same fashion as 200 and 2008.
Times have changed! He assured me that yes PwC would let him keep the hairdo on the job.Gee that's a switch at Big Firms!
A good crowd was on hand for the Saturday presentation by Matt and Alyssa.
Matt visits with Accounting Finance Department Chair Syed Harun about Efficient Market Hypothesis versus
the Socionomic Theory of Finance.
And Mike O’Brien was right, the research displayed was the equal of students at any fine university. And thanks to organizers Josie Sosa-Fey and Amy Bohman for making the Saturday presentation a reality, it was clear the group enjoyed the entire academic exchange with Matt and Alyssa.
And Doug Carter, Sandra DeGrassi, Pablo Califore, and Syed Harun were on hand for the presentation as was Jeong-Sug Yang who engaged our speaker with great questions.
And I suspect we will have posters only in the future as we spent a good bit of time watching three teams present power points. It was well done but as I say we ran out of time to view the posters.
Saturday’s noon presentation was also well attended. And we had even more questions as it was oriented to the business group.
Special thanks to San Antonio professionals Susan Hough from PwC, Donna McIlveen with Aventine Hill, Glen Prochnow with USAA, and Mark Goldman with MGR who attended. Camille Marbury now with ATT and a past president of SA Internal Auditors also visited Saturday.
Whew, Matt and Alyssa must have felt like they were in a Chevy Chase vacation movie, okay kids here’s the Louvre, you got an hour. More names and faces than could be remembered in such a short time but genuine appreciation on their part for our interest in their topic.
But as I say Matt thanks me and all of you who made this a great event for arranging his best speaking engagement in years.
And as you can see, this was a team effort and a team I am proud to be part of.
Thanks to each and every one of you!
Dennis Elam
College of Business
Texas A & M University San Antonio