News Spotlight

Fauver's Research in Forbes Magazine

Larry Fauver's recent research on corruption involving public officials and the subsequent costs to taxpayers will appear in an article in the June 16, 2008 issue of Forbes Magazine.  The blurb below is taken from the Forbes website at http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/0616/042.html.  Larry's research focuses on firm performance, corporate governance, and corruption, both in a domestic and international environment. He has published in the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Quantitative Analysis, Financial Management, and other finance journals and won two best research paper awards in 2007. 

UT Group Visits with Warren Buffett

(Contributed by Robert M. Walters, President, University of Tennessee MBA, and
VP, Financial Management Association)

50 students and faculty from the University of Tennessee Financial Management Association (FMA) recently attended a Q&A session and luncheon with Warren Buffett in Omaha, NE.   The UT group were joined by the MBA class from MIT and a combination of undergraduate and graduate students from Duke.

The visit began with a tour of the Nebraska Furniture Mart led by its CEO, Mr. Blumkin,  an excursion to Borsheim's Jewelry Store (both Berkshire Hathaway companies), and finally to listen to the Oracle of Omaha speak for four and a half hours! Tennessee's Director of FMA, Mrs. Suzan Murphy,  and retired UT Professor Al Auxier,  facilitated the Q&A with Mr. Buffett. This was the 9th year UT has had the honor to learn from Mr. Buffett, while MIT and Duke enjoyed their first visit. Mr. Buffett offered his insight into the market, forecasts for future industries, but most importantly, an approach and attitude on work and personal life. He spoke of how we approach future employment, how he approaches business acquisitions and mergers, and related them both to how we make our most important decision in life, who to choose for a spouse.  At 77 years young, Mr. Buffett has accomplished more than most could dream while leading an exemplary life. Humble yet powerful, admirable yet lighthearted, honest, funny, and full of energy, Warren Buffett amazed the room. Many students wrote notes vigorously to capture as much knowledge as possible, many students snapped pictures, and all students had the experience of a lifetime.

The UT FMA then adjourned for dinner at the Upstream Brewery followed by the nightlife only Omaha can offer! Who would've thought putting MIT, Duke, and UT in a room wouldn't end with a punch line?

Faculty News

Congratulations to Tracie Woidtke, who was awarded the Southern-Peters Outstanding Researcher Award at the 2008 CBA Honors Banquet.  Also to Swannee Sexton, who was honored with the Allen H. Keally Outstanding Commitment to Students Award.

Harold Black was the Distinguished Luncheon Speaker at the Midwest Finance Association annual meetings this year in San Antonio, Feb 28, 2008.

Tom Boehm and Ray DeGennaro won the Best Empirical Paper Award at the Southern Finance Association meetings in  Charleston, SC, October 2007 for their research "A Discrete Choice Model of Dividend Reinvestment Plans: Classification and Prediction." 

Ramon P. DeGennaro, the SunTrust Professor of Finance, has accepted a position on the Editorial Board of The Journal of Private Enterprise.   The Journal of Private Enterprise is entering its 23rd year of publication.  It is indexed in the Journal of Economic Literature and included in the Econlit databases EBSCO, Proquest, and Cengage/Thomson

Robert Allan Weir Sr., former faculty member in the Department of Finance, died March 21, 2008 in Knoxville. He was a member of the Class of 1946 at the U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis and proudly served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years. While serving, he was recognized as an expert pistol marksman. Following his Navy retirement, Dr. Weir received his PhD in Finance at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. He came to the University of Tennessee where he was a professor until his retirement in 1989. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Jennifer Weir Shuman. His survivors include his wife of 62 years, Millicent.

Four Finance Department faculty have research published or accepted in the Financial Times list of Top 40 journals used in their MBA programs ranking process.

Fauver, Larry, “Does Good Corporate Governance Include Employee Representation? Evidence from German Corporate Boards” (with Michael E. Fuerst), Journal of Financial Economics, Vol. 82, 2006, pp. 673-710.

 Murphy, Deborah L., Ronald E. Shrieves, and Samuel L. Tibbs, “Understanding the Penalties Associated with Corporate Misconduct:  An Empirical Examination of Earnings and Risk,” Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, forthcoming.

 Woidtke, Tracie, “Investor Protection and Real Investment by U.S. Multinationals,” with Eric Kelley, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 41, 2006, pp. 541-572.

Woidtke, Tracie, “Do Boards Pay Attention when Institutional Investor Activists ‘Just Vote No’?” with Diane Del Guercio and Laura Seery, Journal of Financial Economics, forthcoming 2008.

Transitions

We are pleased to welcome Larry Fauver as Assistant Professor in the department.  Dr. Fauver joins the UT faculty from the University of Miami, where he taught international finance and international financial management to undergraduate and graduate students.  He received his Ph.D. in finance from the University of Florida in 2000.  His research focuses on firm performance, corporate governance, and corruption, both in a domestic and international environment. Dr. Fauver has published in the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of Quantitative Analysis, Financial Management, and other finance journals.  He teaches the introductory international finance courses in UT’s undergraduate and graduate curriculum.  Dr. Fauver has has won two best research paper awards in 2007. 

Swannee Sexton, Distinguished Lecturer, has left the University to pursue her outside business interests and to travel with husband, David. 

Cary Collins has left the department to take an academic position at Bryant University in Rhode Island.  All the best to Cary and his family in this transition.