North Texas Daily

Steven James / Staff Writer

Global collaboration among students helped UNT’s College of Business program, “Globally Displaced Workgroups: Creating a Real-World Experience in the Classroom”, win the Bobby G. Bizzell Innovative Achievement Award from the SouthWestern Business Deans’ Association.

“Globally Displaced Workgroups” requires UNT logistics and supply chain management students to work with business students from other time zones and countries, helping them develop better business skills. Logistics professor Ted Farris created the program in 2011 as a requirement for completing the Logistics and Supply Chain Management capstone course, LSCM 4860. However, the program is no longer required for the LSCM 4860 course and is now used for the LSCM 3960 foundations course.

UNT students work with students from Auburn University in Alabama, Universidad de los Andes in Colombia and The Citadel in South Carolina on different research projects chosen by Farris. Because the students are all in different time zones and countries, they do not see each other in person, so they have to communicate through email and phone calls. At the end of the program, the students write papers on the successes and failures of their research and the contributions of their teammates.

“This is what we should be doing in the classroom,” Farris said. “When the students graduate, they will be working with people worldwide.”

Farris also said that even though the LSCM program is rigorous, most students who graduate from the program quickly go into the workforce.

“This really reflects the industry-centric nature of our logistics program, and this exercise is just in our foundations course,” Farris said. “We are addressing what our industry customer wants and this is reflected in placement and salaries.”

The Bobby G. Bizzell Innovative Achievement Award, named after a dean at the University of Houston, recognizes outstanding college and university business programs in the southwestern U.S. The winner of the award receives $1,500 for the lead researcher’s stipend and a plaque of achievement. Schools must already be members of the SouthWestern Business Deans’ Association before submitting applications, and professors are allowed to submit one application per program.

Marilyn Wiley, College of Business senior associate dean, said Farris is a dedicated professor, making sure his students stay on task.

“Dr. Farris is a very accomplished scholar, but he never forgets his students,” Wiley said. “I am very proud of his initiative in making this work.”

She also said the scope is one of the things that makes “Globally Displaced Workgroups” a unique program.

“The program is to try to encourage to make students more global,” she said. “This is a way for students to stay in the country while also kind of getting to study abroad. Very few students take advantage of that, though.”

Curtis Pogue, who participated in the program spring of last year, said Farris was one of the most instrumental professors in helping him graduate.

“You know where you stand with him, there’s no gray area,” Pogue said. “It was an absolute, positive, pleasant experience to be one of his students.”

When Pogue was in the program, he and his teammates conducted research on how to lessen the prices of purchasing certain items and transporting them to warehouses. He said he had an overall good experience working on his research project.

“This is a program for the individual who wants to grow in their career,” he said. “I definitely feel honored and fortunate to not only be in the program, but to get to know Dr. Farris on a personal and professional level as well.”

Feature Photo: Marketing and logistics professor Ted Farris created the Globally Displaced Workgroups program in 2011. The program is designed for students to connect with other students around the world in order to develop business skills.  Photo courtesy of UNT News