Spring 2008 issue of Terry Magazine - (Page 11)

quickbites Global Text Project’s first book being used at two universities he first book in the Global Text Project, an ambitious effort spearheaded by Terry professor Rick Watson, is now in use in colleges in Ethiopia and Indonesia. “So many people don’t have textbooks, and if they do, they’re old, second-hand or single copies that can’t be used by an entire class,” says Watson, who wants to create 1,000 free online textbooks for people in developing nations. About a dozen more books are currently being written by an international team of volunteer professors, and Watson is expanding the project’s model to include Terry students, who will be marketing the textbooks, working on graphics, styling, and other elements. “I’ve always had this notion that this project is about education in a double sense,” says Watson, J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Chair for Internet Strategy and director of the UGA Center for Information Systems Leadership. The prototype for the Global Text Project was created in 2004, when Watson could not find a textbook for the graduate level XML programming class he was teaching. Each student in the class was assigned to write a chapter, and Watson served as editor in chief. The book, XML: Managing Data Exchange, is still in use at UGA today. Since then, Watson and Don McCubbrey at Denver University have formed a core team that includes Wayne Huang of Ohio University, Nagwa Badr of Ain Shams University in Cairo, Andres Sepulveda of the University of Concepción in Chile, and Franz Lehner of the University of Passau in Germany. And nearly 300 people have volunteered to participate in some way, including writing and reviewing chapters and translating. aCColaDes Dawkins named associate dean for academic programs Mark Dawkins, who joined the terry College as an accounting professor in 1994 and was named the college’s first director of diversity relations in 2004, has succeeded Mel Crask (who retired) as associate dean for academic programs. a certified public accountant and certified management DAWKINS accountant, Dawkins has co-coordinated the georgia society of Cpas high school residency program at uga. Last spring, he was awarded the terry College’s outstanding service award. T The first book, Information Systems, is available at ocp.uni-passau.de/drupal and is in use at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and at Atma Jaya Yogyakarta University in Indonesia. Watson says books on grammar and e-commerce are near completion. Swiss-based Jacobs Foundation has donated $200,000 to the project, and a university in Chile is donating 350 books. Language translation service and technology provider Sajan Inc. is donating its technology, and Steve Goodroe (BBA ’71), a Terry executive-in-residence, is working on developing a sustainable financing model. UGA students who have volunteered to work on the Global Text Project are marketing the books and setting up quality circles in which students discuss the texts and suggest improvements. “This is about much more than just producing books,” says Watson. “It’s about getting students engaged in creating knowledge and helping each other. And that has always been the theme — engaging many for the benefit of many more.” To learn more about the Global Text Project, go to globaltext.org. ■ — Sam Fahmy (BS ’97) MBA Director Peter Shedd named University Professor Peter Shedd (BBA ’74, JD ’77), legal studies professor and director of terry’s MBa program, has been named a university professor. shedd has served in several administrative capacities on campus, including associate dean of the business school, executive assistant to the president, and associate vice president for instruction. he has served on more than 50 uga committees, councils and boards. he is a former chair of university Council, past member of the georgia SHEDD athletic association board of directors, and has been a member of the uga Foundation’s board of trustees since 2004. and he is one of the very few faculty members to have taught in all five of the terry College’s MBa programs. Gwinnett programs relocate to new Intellicenter facility the terry College will relocate its evening MBa and Master of internet technology programs in gwinnett to a new facility in Lawrenceville in May. the new building, located at 2530 sever rd., just off i-85 at the old peachtree rd. exit, is known as the intellicenter. terry also offers its evening MBa program at the terry executive education Center in Buckhead. For information: www.uga.edu/gwinnett. ■ Terry College of patti hoyt, who works in the j.M. tull school of accounting, received uga’s outstanding advisor/Mentor award. though advising makes up only 65 percent of her job description, she still ends up counseling about 160 students each semester. one of her student nominators wrote, “she always greeted us with a smile, accepted unannounced visits, forgave missed appointments, and offered words of encouragement.” another wrote, “i just wish i had a patti for the real world!” ■ HOYT Hoyt named top advisor/mentor BuSineSS Spring 2008 • 11 http://ocp.uni-passau.de/drupal http://globaltext.org http://www.uga.edu/gwinnett

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008 Contents Quick Bites Research & Innovation Gatherings Best CEO in America An Unlikely Rock Star Fire & Flavor Beyond the Bench Terry Memo Economic Scorekeeper Class Notes

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

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