International Studies Grad Works to Launch a First for NEO

Laughlin-Caroff '05

Northeast Ohio's only foreign language immersion school--the state's first Mandarin immersion school--is gearing up to open in Cleveland in August 2016 and a BW alumna Kristen Laughlin-Caroff '05 is playing an instrumental role in the development of the new Global Ambassadors Language Academy (GALA). Laughlin-Caroff, who triple majored in international studies, French and economics at BW, serves on GALA'sboard and is chief marketing officer for Cleveland International Fund.

The Cleveland Metropolitan School District-sponsored charter school has initial plans are to enroll Kindergarten and First Graders Mandarin and Spanish immersion programs, with the goal of adding Arabic and Portuguese and developing an international school for grades 9-12 in the future. The school will be tuition free and provide instruction of all core subjects in both English and a target language, "leading to dual proficiency in reading, writing,

listening, and speaking by the 3rd grade."

Laughlin-Caroff is optimistic for the future of GALA, telling us that "it will serve as a change agent for Cleveland," offering area families "innovative school options" as it works to "strengthen culture and diversity, and produce a globally competitive local workforce for multinational companies in the Cleveland area."

BW CIG Names First Faculty Innovation Fellows

BW's Center for Innovation and Growth

BW's Center for Innovation and Growth (CIG) recently appointed two faculty members to serve as the CIG's first Innovation Fellows beginning fall 2015 for two years.

After a rigorous application process and review from the CIG Innovation Fellowship committee, Tony Chen in the Economics department and Sean Gilmore in the Communication Arts and Sciences department were selected for this opportunity.

Through their fellowship, Chen and Gilmore will work on a variety of CIG projects and programs support the CIG's mission of "infusing innovation and entrepreneurship across the BW campus and Northeast Ohio."

BW Seniors Offered Elite Fellowships with Cleveland Clinic

2015 Cleveland Clinic Finance Fellows Tom Kasper '15, Josh Ingle '15, and Eric Gase '15

After a rigorous application and interview process, Tom Kasper '15, Eric Gase '15 and Josh Ingle '15 have each earned one of the six positions in the competitive Cleveland Clinic's Finance Fellowship program. 

The program lasts a full year, according to mathematics and economics double major Josh, rotating fellows through several areas of business operations within the Cleveland Clinic, including financial planning and corporate accounting, with the aim of preparing candidates to handle a wide range of operational facets of a healthcare organization.

Tom, a finance and economics double major and accounting minor, credits BW for helping him to develop the analytical skills that made him stand out: "There is a tremendous demand for employees who can understand, interpret, and make business decisions based on the data through statistical and trend analysis," Tom said.

All three seniors also commended the assistance of BW Career Services' Beth Ehrbar who helped them lock down the positions. "I met with [Beth] about two times for each interview and she went over possible interview questions, how to answer interview questions, and overall tips for improvement," said Eric, a finance and international business double major.

When the program concludes, all three aspire to be hired into a full time position in one of the departments where they will be gaining experience over the next year. To date, the Cleveland Clinic has hired all former Finance Fellows into different finance roles, so the future is looking bright for these three BW students.

BW Professor Emeritus, Alumnus Earns Hospital Service Award

Through dedication and hard work, BW professor emeritus and alumnus Robert Ebert '65 recently earned Fairview Hospital's Community Service Award.

Following in the footsteps of his parents, who were involved with the fundraising campaign for the hospital, Ebert devoted his time and energy to the improvement of health care since he was asked to serve on the board of Fairview Enterprises in the 1980s, going to serve in various capacities including the Fairview Hospital Board of Trustees and the Community West Foundation.

"I am committed to excellence in health care," says Ebert, "as I believe it is vital to the well-being of the community."

The 1965 BW graduate completed a doctorate in economics at Case Western Reserve University and went on to teach the subject at BW for many years, earning many teaching and faculty awards. Ebert became a professor emeritus in 2010.

Business Faculty Highlighted in the News

Dr. Lori K Long

Three BW's school of business professors continue to be go-to resources for the media, lending their expertise in an array of recent hot-button news pieces. 

Dr. Lori K. Long, along with other experts in the field, was a featured consultant in a Crain's Cleveland Business article discussing the benefits of employers providing opportunities for sabbatical. In the article, Dr. Long talks about how paid sabbatical "can be a retention tool" to keep employees invested with their companies.

Dr. Kevin Jacques

Dr. Phil Bessler

Offering expertise in finance, Dr. Kevin Jacques was featured in two separate pieces for Marketplace, heard on PBS stations across the country.  Speaking to his extensive experience with the U.S. Treasury Department, Dr. Jacques provided insight into the logic behind the newly-selected Antonio Weiss for Treasury undersecretary. In another Marketplace report, Dr. Jaques was featured discussing changes to Wells Fargo's approach to student loans.

Meantime, in a report broadcast on WEWS TV-5 Cleveland, Dr. Phil Bessler consulted on the recent ups and downs of gas prices, saying that "stations are required to raise the prices even though gas in the tank is not the wholesale price," adding that prices can "go up like a rocket and down like a feather."

Successful BW Finance and Economics Grad Publishes Book

BW alumnus, Sherif Ayoub ’96, has recently published a new book, Derivatives in Islamic Finance: Examining the Market Risk Management Framework. The book "offers a fresh perspective on the challenges facing the Islamic finance industry." The book is just the latest addition to an impressive list of accomplishments for the BW economics and finance graduate.


After earning his undergraduate degree, the Lakewood High School and BW graduate worked in the Peace Corps, studied at Columbia University, where he earned a Masters Degree and, then went on to the University of Edinburgh, where he earned his Ph.D.

Ayoub is a member of the Board of Directors for the Bahrain  Islamic Bank and preparing to take a new position as Assistant Secretary-General, Finance and Administration, with the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) in Malaysia. He is currently Advisor to the Vice President of the Islamic Development Bank, Finance. He also has served as a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University and a Visiting Scholar at the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF).

BW Jobs Analysis Challenges and Makes News Headlines

An assessment by BW economics department chair and professor Veronica Kalich that "Ohio has yet to regain at least 120,000 jobs it lost since the recession began more than six years ago" made front page news in the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Sunday.

Following the trumpeted release of improved national unemployment figures last month, Kalich looked at Labor Department data for Ohio from the start of the recession through May 2014. "The big headline was that the U.S. was back," Kalich told the newspaper. "I am sorry, but Ohio is not back to where we were in December 2007."

Kalich and other economists interviewed for the report say "education is key to Ohio not only recovering jobs lost during the recession, but creating new jobs as well. Throughout the recession and recovery, people with the highest education levels had the lowest unemployment rates."

Read more about Kalich's Ohio unemployment analysis at cleveland.com.

James Thomas '59 Inducted into OFIC Hall of Excellence

BW trustee James A. Thomas ’59, chairman and CEO of Thomas Properties Group, Inc., was inducted into the Ohio Foundation of Independent Colleges Hall of Excellence. He is the ninth BW alumnus to be so honored.

“Jim Thomas’ career has been marked by uncommon vision, creativity, personal drive and the highest standards of integrity,” said BW President Robert Helmer. “He truly exemplifies the attributes that we in independent higher education strive to instill in our students and provide to the broader society.”

Baldwin Wallace University President Robert C. Helmer (l) and James A. Thomas '59 (r) at the OFIC Hall of Excellence induction ceremony held the April 16, 2014 in Columbus

2014 Economic Outlook Live-Tweeted

If you missed the recent Economic Insights event, hosted by BW's Business Division, you can still catch some of the major points via Twitter. Michelle Park Lazette, the Crains Cleveland's banking and finance reporter, live-tweeted through the late January event, creating and capturing a synopsis for those not able to attend. If you're on Twitter, you can search up the feed through #2014outlook.

The featured forecasters were Michael Weidokol, BW Alumnus and Executive Director of ISA (International Strategic Analysis), Kevin Jacques, BW finance professor and former U.S Treasury economist and Thomas Waltermire, CEO of Team NEO and a BW Trustee. 

By the way, Dr. Jacques, who appears frequently as a media expert, also was asked by Politco recently to prognosticate on another issue--the future of the Federal Reserve under new leadership. His comments appear in an article titled, "The Janet Yellen era begins." 

Economics Prof Explores Values as Brand

Crain's Cleveland Business called on BW economics professor Kay Strong for insight into businesses that focus on fair trade.

The article, in the latest issue of the magazine, explores the conundrum of small, local firms in NE Ohio that face challenges due to their fair trade practices, but believe in what they do.

“Companies who step out and say, 'These are my values and these are the values of my business,' and brand those values, I think, there are niches for those companies," Strong says. "There is an advantage to putting it (your vision) out there because it's a way of branding yourself.”

Leading the Study of Language through Non-Language Courses

BW faculty members, Dr. Tony Chen (Economics), Dr. Javier Morales-Ortiz (Political Science) and Dr. Judy Krutky (International Studies) recently attended the seventh annual conference on Culture and Language Across the Curriculum at the University of Richmond in Virginia, where Dr. Krutky was tapped to co-lead one of the conference’s workshops.

The conference provided participants the opportunity to share and develop ideas and best practices for integrating the study of a second language beyond traditional language classes.

BW, a founding member of the national consortium, held the annual conference on its campus in fall 2009. The Language Across the Curriculum curricular option at BW gives students the chance to practice their foreign language skills in their non-language courses.

BW Students Conduct Grant-Funded Research in China

A Baldwin Wallace University economics professor and four students conducted summer research in China as recipients of a 2013 ASIANetwork Freeman Student-Faculty Fellows grant, an award given to only 13 schools across the U.S.

Xudong Chen, associate professor of economics, led four students to Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai and Beijing. The experience enabled them to advance their research skills, learn firsthand about Asia, and foster intercultural appreciation.

The BW group at Tienanmen Square: Dr. Xudong Chen (center) flanked (l-r) by BW students Sundous Eddeb '13, of Brooklyn, Erin Amschlinger of Rocky River, Daniela Muhaj of Albania, and Paul Krause of Parma.

Expert in the News - Why Your Paycheck isn't Keeping Up

BW economics professor Veronica Kalich tells the Plain Dealer that new data on Ohio's lagging wage growth is reason for concern. 

"We could be seeing a greater number of people working in lower wage jobs, so even if our employment numbers are improving, it is not necessarily that people are getting better wages." 

Students & Prof Win China Research Grant

A Baldwin Wallace University economics professor and four students will be conducting research in China this summer as recipients of a 2013 ASIANetwork Freeman Student-Faculty Fellows grant, an award given to only 13 schools across the U.S.

Dr. Xudong Chen will lead four students to China May 16-June 6 to visit Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai and Beijing.

Sundous Eddeb '13  of Brooklyn, Erin Amschlinger '14 of Rocky River, Daniela Muhaj '14 of Albania and Paul Krause '15 of Parma will have the opportunity to advance their research skills, learn firsthand about Asia, and foster intercultural awareness. Read more here.