Soules College of Business Newsletter

Dean's Message

February 2021

February is an interesting month. It is the only month to have a length of fewer than 30 days. January and February were the last two months to be added to the Roman calendar (c. 713 BC). Originally, February was made the last month of the calendar year until eventually (c. 450 BC), being moved to the second month. February is also a month of celebrating, observing and remembering things like Groundhog Day, Abraham Lincoln’s birthday, Chinese New Year, Valentine’s Day, Susan B. Anthony’s birthday, National Flag of Canada Day, Presidents’ Day, Mardi Gras (a.k.a. “Fat Tuesday” or Shrove Tuesday) and African American History Month. 

February is also a month of hard work, digging in and trying to settle into a productive routine as we prepare for another successful school year. For faculty and staff at the Soules College of Business, that means welcoming back students on campus and in the classrooms. 

It is also a time to recognize that digging in and hard work is not successfully done in isolation and requires us to stay connected. It does not matter if you are a freshman or a dean, we all need help to accomplish great things. I challenge you this month to take time to engage with peers, faculty, staff and students to learn from one another as well as encourage, collaborate and celebrate. 

In this month’s newsletter, we celebrate a Soules College of Business faculty/administrator, staff member and a student who represent the essence of why many of us decided to pursue the lofty ambition of a career in higher education. Dr. Heshium Lawrence, interim associate dean and associate professor of technology; Ms. Amy Russo, career success coach for the Soules College of Business; and accounting student, Victoria “Paige” Rebmann personify why UT Tyler and the Soules College of Business are such special places of higher learning, collaboration and personal growth. They all highly value relationships and intensely care about student success!

As always, it is my privilege to not only serve the Soules College of Business faculty, staff and students but also connect and work hand in hand with our alumni and community partners. I encourage you to continue to invest in your personal and professional connections and join us in the hard work that has begun here on campus. Get involved with us so that we all can keep learning, moving forward and supporting each other as we tackle the challenging issues of our times. I thank you for all that you already have done and look forward to all that we can continue to accomplish together. 

Dr. Krist Swimberghe

Interim Dean, Soules College of Business