This was a three-round team selling competition where one student served as sales lead and one student served as tech lead.����

The corporate event was sponsored by Oracle, who brought all their own people in to play the roles of buyers and judges. Last year, six students got hired by Oracle out of this event.��

A total of 13 universities attended, each bringing two teams. Included were major universities who are powerhouses in the area of sales education with standalone sales centers and multiple full-time staff (eg, University of Florida, LSU, MTSU, University of New Mexico, University of Tampa, etc.).��

“You got to love a good David and Goliath story,” AU Professor Bruce Morgan commented in praise of the AU students.����

Jacob Morrow and Grant Stevison (pictured above) walked away with First Place and $1,000. They also won the Teamwork Award. Morrow won  the top Tech lead award. Our other team consisted of Delaney Smith and Alejandro Perez.��

Morrow and Stevison said they pulled some late hours to prepare for the competition, which they feel paid off in the end. They are grateful to ther professors at AU—Drs. Joe Spencer and Bruce Morgan, as well as Rick Moody. They also feel that representatives from Herc Rentals provided valuable assistance, coming into the classroom and staging sales competiitions.��

���f you don’t learn how to apply those and the experience to draw from, at the end of the day, you’re just book smart and you’re not actually going to be able to be successful in the real world,” said Morrow, who is majoring in marketing and also finance. “You’re able to immediately be able to integrate the sales skills that you’ve been picking up through your classes. It also gives you a way to test some different sales techniques that you’ve been thinking about in your off time and your studying.”��

“Jacob brought an incredible ability to relate and be personable, and keep the conversation calm, and he spoke with confidence—I think that that was key,” said Stevison, who is majoring in marketing and minoring in entrepreneurship. ��� think for me, one of the things that helped me be successful was the ability to adapt and adjust, read the room, read the conversation, read the person, and try to adjust based on that, and not being afraid of hearing an objection or hearing ‘no.’”��

Stevison feels that the competition boosted his confidence in his ability to sell, overcoming a mindset that, as a marketing student he felt somehow out of place in a sales competition.��

��� think it gave me a lot of confidence that this is where God wants me and that I have a talent for this,” Stevison said. ���’m not trying to be cocky when I say that, but I do think that the Lord has allowed this to grow in me, and it’s just further confirmation that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.”��

Also at the conference were 10 other corporate sponsors who participated in five rounds of networking competition, 30 minutes each round.��

“You went to a table with a corporate sponsor and two to four other students from other universities and had to push your way to the forefront without being domineering. Quite a balance,” said Morgan, adding that before the competition even started, Oracle scheduled an interview with Morrow.��

Morgan also praised alternate Erin Rable for her performance during the networking event.����

“She won the Top Personality Hire Award (not a real award, I made it up but once she got over her fears of just approaching a table of people she didn’t know, you couldn’t stop her),” Morgan noted.��

Sponsorship Networking��

Morgan considers these competitions as being beyond a conventional competition, citing real results the students bring home, citing the example of Morgan getting a lead for a commercial insurance carrier.��

He commented, “The Greenville Oracle rep said, ‘all the Anderson students were wonderful.’��

The group also got to experience a country songwriters show at the Nashville Symphony, along with some line dancing, which student Delaney Smith excelled at. And of course, when in the Music City, they enjoyed some individual and group karaoke singing.����

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Reynolds, now a mother of five, recently earned her MBA from 91������ while giving birth to two children during the program.��

“I think part of me wanted to prove to everyone that you can go to school and have children at the same time,” Reynolds said. “It’s hard, but you can do it if you want to. You don’t have to pick one.”��

Reynolds graduated in December 2025 with her Master of Business Administration from the 91������ College of Business and Economics, a��milestone��that’s��been��years��in the making. Her journey began with an undergraduate degree��in graphic design��from the South Carolina School of the Arts—also at 91������—but life took her in a different direction before she could pursue graduate studies.��

“I always wanted to go back to school,” Reynolds said. “I had my undergraduate degree, but I wanted to continue my education.”��

Reynolds’ faith was integral to her commitment to see her MBA��through��to completion��while��she was��raising her growing family. She points to 2 Timothy 1:7 as their family verse: “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power,��love��and self-discipline.”��

Reynolds said, “For me and my husband, we honor God’s command to��‘be fruitful and multiply,’ and��the degree came second. My first mission for God is my children and family—the��career was always to support what God blessed us with.”��

Finding the Right Fit��

When Reynolds decided to pursue her MBA, she needed a program that could accommodate her demanding schedule. 91������’s online format provided the flexibility she��required.��

“I worked a full-time job while doing the online degree, so I had to just work around those two things,” she explained.��

Reynolds heads into the office four days a week��at Fujifilm in Greenwood��and works from home on Fridays.��Balancing��work and family��commitments with graduate coursework��required��some strategic��time management.��

“I dedicated time to my classes within the window of time after children went to bed every night,” Reynolds said. “I would also read on my lunch breaks, and if there were any apps that would read your textbooks, I would listen to them on the drive to and from work.”��

The Art of Being Present��

For Reynolds, success��wasn’t��just about finding��time—it was about being fully present in each moment.��It was also about prioritizing motherhood and choosing to bring two lives into the world during that time.��With three children in diapers and her older sons will��under��10, it��wasn’t��easy,��but��she persevered.����

“Focus and discipline require that you dedicate portions of your life to specific things,” she said. “If I’m with my family, I need to be present with my family. If I’m at school, I need to be present at school.”��

This philosophy was tested when life’s unpredictable moments arose. Reynolds recalled times when she had to request deadline extensions, including spending an entire day in the emergency room with one of her children when a paper was due.��

“They were understanding,” she said��of��her professors.��

A Culture of Support��

What stood out most to Reynolds during her MBA journey was the family-friendly culture she��encountered��among 91������ faculty.��This support system proved invaluable as Reynolds navigated the challenges of graduate-level coursework while managing the demands of a growing family and��a��full-time career.��

“Certain professors I really connected with because they were happy that I had children and a family,” Reynolds said.��“They were so supportive of family.”��

When��Reynolds��was giving��birth to her��youngest daughter, she shared the news with her professor, letting her know when to expect the delivery.��She sent the professor a photo of her new baby, receiving the reply, “That makes my��day.”������

Reflecting��on her experience,��Reynolds said,��“This past May we welcomed Elizabeth to our family of now��seven, and I took some time off work to heal and take care of her. Then shortly after that I was able to finish my MBA��while being able to talk about my faith in God in every class! Only a little over a year ago, while in the middle of my MBA studies I had another beautiful girl named René and right before I started my MBA program I had my first daughter Catherine.”��

Lessons in Balance��

Reynolds’ experience taught her important lessons about managing multiple priorities simultaneously. The key, she discovered, was��maintaining��focus on whatever task was at hand, especially when trying to manage many things at once.��

“You have to be present at the time,” she emphasized.��

Reynolds’��journey��at 91������ crossed��two different academic worlds, but��she��found value in both experiences. The MBA program offered her the opportunity to develop new skills while��proving to��herself—and others—that major life events��don’t��have to derail educational goals.��

A Message of Possibility��

Reynolds hopes her story will inspire others who may be hesitating to pursue their educational dreams because of family commitments.��

“You can go to school and have children at the same time,” she said. “It’s hard, but you can do it if you want to.”��

Her success��demonstrates��the quality and flexibility of 91������’s MBA program, designed to accommodate working professionals and parents.��

For Reynolds, earning her MBA while raising five children—including welcoming two more during the program—wasn’t��about proving she could do the impossible. It was about showing that with focus, discipline,��support��and determination, the��seemingly impossible��becomes achievable. Receiving her degree this past December stands as proof that, with the right mindset and support system, you truly can have both.��

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An 91������ student is the inaugural recipient of a new scholarship from the South Carolina Society of Healthcare Supply Chain (SCSHSC).��

SCSHSC established the Dottie Mullins Scholarship for students studying supply chain management who have worked on a project with one of the hospital partners and presented their work at their annual conference.��

Kim Wooten of the South Carolina Hospital Administration (SCHA) presented Brewer with the $1,000 scholarship, which was named for her mother, Dottie Mullins, recognizing her contributions to South Carolina hospitals.��

“In God’s providence, Allison needed such a scholarship at just this moment. Seeing this be awarded at the conference was amazing!  Allison had no idea that this scholarship was even available to her because of how new it was–the organization announced it and awarded it at the same time,” said Dr. Kimberly Whitehead, supply chain professor at the 91������ College of Business and Economics. “God has truly blessed 91������ and our students because of our relationship with this great organization. We could have never imagined the lives that would be changed and blessed by this collaboration the first year we attended. So many students have attended, received jobs or internships, and we have even started a program to job shadow with the hospitals and their vendors.”��

Dr. Whitehead also thanked 91������ College of Business and Economics Dean Steve Nail for his support of the Supply Chain program and helping with the cost of attending the conference.��

Brewer commented, “Dr. Whitehead had been saying ‘I have a surprise for tonight and I can’t let you know what it is.’ I had an inkling maybe with some scholarships and I though since there’s only three of us here… I was surprised that I was singled out and selected.”��

Brewer attended the conference, held annually in North Myrtle Beach, along with Tanner Buck, Avery Croston and Faith Denton. They learned about ways that hospitals interact with supply chain professionals in healtcare-focused companies. They also presented research on how hospitals dispose of outdated technical equipment, comparing the costs of an asset disposition company with the cost of the hospital disposing of items themselves.��

The students worked with one such company, Tekyard Medical, as they were preparing their presentation.����

“There are issues with private health information being on machines,” Brewer said, commenting that there are companies that ensure that sensitive information is removed from equipment before it is disposed of.����

Brewer, who is double majoring in Supply Chain and Christian Studies, is exploring potential future careers.��

���’ve thought a lot about how missions and supply chain kind of intersect but is also interested in how missions and supply chain intersect,” said Brewer, giving as an example the Christian organization Samaritan’s Purse and supply chain applications for Operation Christmas Child, as well as their disaster relief efforts.����

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The newly appointed Advisory Council members are:��

• Sarah Maiberger, Vice President and Controller, Integrated Support Systems��

• Sarah Curnow, Co-Founder and CEO, Credo Software��

• Kip Miller, Chairman, Eastern Industrial Supplies��

• Jay McAfee, CEO, Thomas McAfee Funeral Homes��

• Ava Smith, President, Flat Fee Recruiting��

• Abe Webber, Vice President of Operations, Super Duper Publications��

• John Barnes, President and Chief Visionary Officer, WorkSmart Staffing��

“We are honored to welcome this accomplished group of professionals to our Advisory Council,” said Dr. Brad Bechtold, Executive Director of the Institute. “Each brings unique insights, deep experience and a shared commitment to strengthening multigenerational family businesses across our state.”��

About the Kim S. Miller Family Enterprise Institute of South Carolina��

The Kim S. Miller Family Enterprise Institute of South Carolina (FEISC), housed within the College of Business and Economics at 91������, exists to support, educate and equip family-owned businesses as they grow, transition and thrive across generations.��

Rooted in research and real-world practice, the Institute provides education, peer learning and expert resources for family businesses navigating the complex intersections of business, ownership, and family. Our programming includes statewide events, confidential roundtables, annual conferences and custom engagements—bringing together owners, successors, professionals and thought leaders dedicated to long-term success.��

The Institute is committed to making a statewide impact and fostering a future where family enterprises of all industries, sizes and backgrounds contribute robustly to South Carolina’s economy.��

The Role of the Advisory Council��

The Advisory Council serves a vital leadership and governance function within the Institute. Comprised of 15 leaders from family-owned businesses and strategic partners, the Council advises the Executive Committee and Institute leadership on strategy, programming, membership development and overall impact.��

Council members meet regularly to offer guidance on the Institute’s strategic direction and ensure that its work remains responsive, relevant and effective for South Carolina’s business families. Members are active participants in Institute events and serve as ambassadors for its mission—promoting a collaborative, confidential and values-driven environment for family enterprise learning.��

���n today’s rapidly changing business environment, family enterprises need places where they can learn from one another, grow stronger together, and plan wisely for the future,” said Drew Brown, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Godshall Recruiting and Chair of the Advisory Council. “That’s exactly what this Institute offers. I’m excited to welcome this exceptional group of leaders to the Council and look forward to the energy and insight they will bring.”��

For more information about the Kim S. Miller Family Enterprise Institute of South Carolina, visit
www.andersonuniversity.edu/feisc��

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The Bachelor of Science degree in Quantitative Economics, launching this fall, focuses on skills that are essential to becoming a leader in the world of finance. Graduates will be equipped to effectively describe, evaluate and solve real-world economic problems.��

The program emphasizes critical thinking skills from an economic and mathematical perspective—all with a strong theoretical foundation. The curriculum will enable graduates to tackle complex economic and financial issues, providing the kind of data-driven insights that are much in demand in today’s economy.����

BS in Quantitative Economics graduates will also be well-prepared for advanced studies in economics, quantitative finance, or data analytics in terms of mastering subject matter and transitioning well into the rigors of graduate work.����

“For many, the mathematical and statistical methods used by economists remain a black box—data goes in, conclusions come out. As advanced data analysis techniques continue to proliferate, it is increasingly vital for business leaders and analysts to have a strong foundation in the mathematics that underpin our complex, global economy,” said Dr. Josiah Reiswig, assistant professor of mathematics and Mathematics Department Chair at the 91������ College of Arts and Sciences. “Anderson’s BS in Quantitative Economics equips students to interpret, adapt, and communicate the mathematical principles that drive economic analysis and decisions.”����

Details about the BS in Quantitative Economics are available online here.

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NISC was a two-day event of competitions, workshops, a career fair and a networking party. The AU students were among more than 300 students from 60 colleges from across the U.S., Canada and Europe competing for a $1,000 prize. All were students in the MKT 399 Advanced Sales Class. They won an in-class competition to earn the right to represent AU at their first ever sales competition.��

According to Dr. Bruce Morgan, advance sales class professor in the AU College of Business, the inaugural meeting of the new AU Sales Club is planned for January 27, 2025. The AU Sales Club is open to students of any major with an interest in sales.��

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There are currently 27 initial graduates of the MS STEM programs between the Summer and Fall semesters (7 Summer and 20 Fall). The students are primarily from India but also include students from Spain and France. Most of the new graduates are traveling to Anderson to take part in commencement ceremonies. ��

The International Graduate School at 91������ represents an important step in fulfilling needs identified in the global workforce by offering hybrid programs consisting of online instruction and three-day intensives which take place at the University Center of Greenville. IGS faculty consists of 91������ professors, complemented by a talented cadre of adjunct professors who possess extensive professional experience in their respective fields.��

AU IGS began offering classes in January 2023 and currently offers master’s degree programs in Information Technology Management, Business Analytics, Professional Business Analytics, Cybersecurity Management and Computer Science.��

“The reason I chose 91������ is because of its strong background and history as well,” said Rahul Roy Battu, who completed his MS in Business Analytics and comes from Hyderabad, Telangana, India. ��� have a background of business management in India, so Anderson is also supporting and getting new connections so that will help me to grow my career in the States. Professors here at Anderson… you can reach out to them at any time and they will guide you on your assignments. They’ll guide you on your career progress or academic progress. They’ll also help you with your interests and they’ll guide you on the right path to choose which way to go in.”��

Hridya Padma Sai Vakkalanka, a MS Cybersecurity Management graduate from Hyderabad, Telangana, completed her bachelor’s degree in commerce back in India. Passionate about computers, she discovered Anderson’s Cybersecurity Management program. She feels having such a degree is a definite plus to include on her résume. ��

“There are so many courses in the curriculum that have fascinated me,” Vakkalanka said. “They have excellent faculty—they’re not only experienced but they’re supportive. They give you full attention.”��

For Jittin Nautiyal, who came to the U.S. from India 12 years ago, the Cybersecurity Management program at Anderson fit well within his professional goals and offered more than he initially expected.��

“What I like about this university is that they have their values intact,” said Nautiyal, who currently lives in New Jersey. “You’re acquiring skills and they are instilling some things in you to keep you grounded and make you a better person.”����

“Anderson is a great choice for me. Everybody is supportive, warm and welcoming. I can easily connect with other students and professors,” said Sowmiya Bhagavathsing of Chennai, India.��

“The main thing I like about professors at Anderson is they treat everyone equal. To anyone wanting to do a master’s in the USA, I always recommend Anderson,” said Subham Kothari, who currently lives in Kansas.��

Details about the 91������ International Graduate School can be found online here.��

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Their projects received funding from The Clouse-Elrod Foundation, Inc. as part of the 2024 Maverick Innovators Fellowship that inspires the next generation of entrepreneurial leaders to catch the “maverick” spirit and nurture their innovative thinking. As Fellows, these students completed an eight-week, cohort-based training program and “Big Idea” research project with their student peers from eight universities across North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, culminating in a presentation of their project.����

According to Emma Peters, a double major in Marketing and Accounting with a Dance minor, the eight-week course was an innovation “mindset-reset” kind of course. The foundation provided students with guidance based on top global issues identified by the United Nations—social, economic and environmental.����

“We were able to learn where our strengths and weaknesses were when it came to innovation and entrepreneurship,” Peters said. “To finish out that project, we were able to do a paper where we looked at a global issue and we came up with a new innovative solution for it; we were able to present on that with the founders of the foundation as well as professors across the state of South Carolina.”��

Peters chose to do a project on global overconsumption and waste disposal practices, focusing on practices and attitudes prevalent among first-world countries.��

“I was able to come up with a solution for awareness by using public art displays to bring awareness through public spaces to the issue in hopes that in the future that that could be reduced,” Peters said as she shared her vision for public displays of art works created out of non-biodegradable waste items such as plastic car parts, fast fashion and textiles. “We’d use those to create art pieces that would be lasting, showed impact of what we consume and how it stays on earth for a prolonged period of time—longer than most people would probably expect it to.”��

Delaney Smith, who is majoring in Marketing and minoring in Entrepreneurship, focused her project on a sector of the apparel market considered to have a negative global impact.��

“My project was based around the idea of fast fashion. Overconsumption of discarded clothing is a huge problem globally,” Smith said.�� “Trends are just so quick to fade and they change really fast in our society right now because of the way you can find out what people are doing on social media.”��

Smith unpacked how fast fashion is harmful.��

“Every part of the textile manufacturing process, there’s waste generated at literally every step, and so it’s not even just the clothing itself being discarded and polluting our environment,” Smith said. “The fact that I surrounded my project on is that every second of the day there’s a tractor trailer full of clothing either discarded or burned—every second.”��

Smith’s proposal is to involve consignment sellers of clothing and others such as thrift stores to become part of a multi-city event to raise awareness of fast fashion’s problem while at the same time creating a solution that’s more of a win-win.����

Marketing Major Eric Moore drew inspiration for his project from working with kids a couple of summers at a sports camp. While there he interacted with a lot of middle school-age youngsters who were involved in travel sports, such as baseball or basketball.����

“These are some of the richest kids in America, so it kind of makes sense… They have the money to do it, but I had 10-year-olds one time, and these kids were literally going to Cooperstown, Panama City Beach, Tennessee, Louisiana. They’re traveling everywhere when they’re 10,” Moore said. “When I was 10, I was still playing with Matchbox cars and Hot Wheels. I did baseball practice three nights a week and loved it. I’ll never forget one of the kids basically told me that he likes just being at home on the weekend. I was like ‘good grief, you’re 10. You shouldn’t be worried about your ERA’ or whatever stats they’re worried about.”��

Moore is concerned about the burdensome expense not all families can handle and burnout from extensive travel aimed at giving a son or daughter a competitive advantage in a particular sport.��

Moore’s project, which he calls the Fun First Movement, is aimed at helping young athletes and their parents value the fun aspects of playing sports. There would be a marketing campaign using high profile sports figures to promote local rec leagues. Another part of the Fun First Movement would be organizing events at community recreation departments. The events would promote team sports while providing fun activities kids can enjoy with their friends. He envisions events where youngsters can enjoy playing their favorite sport, but also enjoy rides, food and parades with their teammates.��

The Maverick program keenly develops an innovative mindset among students—highly desirable in interviews for a variety of professions as well as for entering graduate school.�� Integrating such innovation into classwork is just one of many aspects of AU’s pillar of Great Academics.

“You’re able to build a skill set to become better at those things, which is very valuable to companies and firms when you’re going to look for full time or even part-time employment,” Peters said.��

��� loved being able to find a problem, find a solution and see what overall impacts I think my solution would have,” Moore said. “This was definitely a very helpful part of my education.”��

For Smith, a big takeaway was the program’s focus on creative problem-solving.����

���nnovation is something that can be taught if you just take time to learn it. I haven’t really started my entrepreneurship classes, but that’s kind of a different side of things,” Smith said. ���t was really cool to learn how to be an innovator.”��

��

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