2025 RESEARCH IMPACT AND SCHOLARLY INFLUENCE
Verschoor Ethics Feature of the Year Award and was recognized in the Research.com 2025 World Ranking of Top Business and Management Scientists and Top Economics and Finance Scientists. Divesh Sharma received the KSU Top Researcher Award, the KSU Apex Award, and multiple recognitions in the BYU Accounting Research Rankings, including distinctions for multi talented scholarship and archival accounting research. Donald Ariail received the Outstanding Published Manuscript Award and the Excellence in Accounting Ethics Education Award. Brad Schafer received the IIA Global Excellence Award for Educator Impact as well as the Coles College Outstanding Faculty Community Engagement Award. Other notable recognitions included Weiwei Chen ’s first place finish in the August Biomedical Research Corporation Datathon Competition, Susan Young ’s Emerald Literati Outstanding Paper Award, Soo Il Shin ’s SAIS Best Paper Award, and Botong Xue ’s Best Paper Award from the Midwest Association for Information Systems. Sara Davis was named North Atlanta Venture Mentoring Service Mentor of the Year, while Michael Maloni received the Coles Lifetime Achievement Award. Mia Plachkinova received Best Reviewer Award, Workshop on Informatioin Security and Privacy. Marcus Caylor also continued to be recognized for research influence, including being listed among the Top 1000 Downloaded Authors.
Graduate student scholarship also continued to address real world challenges. In the MSHMI program, student projects examined issues such as neurodivergent inclusion in corporate workplaces, the impact of social determinants of health on telemedicine utilization in Northwest Georgia, and a data driven view of virtual nursing productivity using Microsoft Power BI. These projects demonstrate how graduate students are applying research and analytics to healthcare innovation and decision making. Undergraduate students contributed through Course Based Undergraduate Research Experiences, faculty mentored research, and the Undergraduate Research and Engagement Showcase. Representative projects included “Strategic Marketing in Film Sequels: Lessons from Wicked’s Record Breaking Success,” research on franchise chain success, and the Blood Wedding Theatre Audience Research Project, in which students in Entertainment Marketing conducted survey research with 579 audience members across eight performances and delivered insights to production stakeholders. Together, these activities show how Coles integrates student learning, applied analytics, and faculty mentorship into a strong culture of scholarly engagement. Societal Impact Highlights Coles research continued to generate meaningful societal impact in 2025 through entrepreneurship support, small business development, policy relevant scholarship, student engagement, and partnerships with industry and community organizations. One major highlight was the launch of STRIVE, a program through the Shore Entrepreneurship Center designed to help veterans and their family members overcome challenges and develop the skills needed to launch and grow successful businesses. The program provides training, mentorship, and entrepreneurial support aimed at helping participants move from ideas to viable ventures. The college’s Small Business Development Center continued to be a major source of regional economic impact. Between 2021 and 2025, the center helped facilitate $299 million in capital infusion and supported more than 540 businesses through advising and training.
These efforts provide practical guidance to entrepreneurs and small businesses in areas such as planning, marketing, operations, and growth.
Coles also continued to advance impact through the Education Economics Center, whose research informs policy discussions related to school choice, teacher labor markets, education finance, and long term economic opportunity. At the same time, faculty research and partnerships in fintech, cybersecurity, healthcare analytics, artificial intelligence, and digital transformation addressed important organizational and societal challenges in collaboration with groups such as NASA, the National Science Foundation, and WellStar Health System. Community and student driven impact also remained central to the college’s mission. Through the Aspiring Community Entrepreneurs (ACE) Program, developed with MUST Ministries, the college supported early stage entrepreneurs from historically underserved communities through training, mentorship, and business development resources. Students also contributed directly to community impact through the Ground Work Agency, a student run marketing firm that provides services to nonprofits, schools, and small businesses, and through research partnerships with organizations such as Angels Among Us Pet Rescue and the Georgia Symphony Orchestra.
Faculty Awards and Recognition
Coles faculty received numerous recognitions in 2025 for research, scholarly impact, teaching, and professional leadership. Some highlights include:
Dana Hermanson was named the 2025 American Accounting Association Presidential Scholar, one of the most distinguished recognitions in the accounting discipline. He also received the Strategic Finance Curt
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