Graduate Advisement

Xiaoxin Wang Beardsley, Director of M.B.A. Programs, finance program coordinator and Hamilton Family Faculty Fellow, joined SIU in 2003. She teaches Portfolio Theory and Management (FIN 433) and International Finance (FIN 464/BA582).

Beardsley said she chose to pursue a career in higher education for several reasons, “I love to see how research in the financial markets enhances people’s understanding on investment, helps them to develop a successful career path and secure personal financial freedom.” She especially enjoys SIU because of her esteemed colleagues in the College of Business and Analytics.

A native of northeastern China, Beardsley was born and raised in the city of Anshan in Liaoning Province. She earned a BS in Finance from Tsinghua University in Beijing, a MA in Economics from the University of Nebraska - Lincoln and a PhD in Finance from the Pennsylvania State University....read full profile >>

Nwamaka Anaza’s areas of expertise focus on studying employees in service roles with particular interest directed to sales professionals, public, and non-profit employees. She also specializes in consumer behavior and has taken up a recent interest in financial technologies. She received her Ph.D. from Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana in 2010.

Anaza chose a career in higher education as a result of her passion for enlightening minds and creating a positive change in the lives of students. According to Anaza, “SIU offers a world-class business program where students receive nothing short of an excellent education and practical training. The college also houses some of the best faculty and staff members in the academy. These individuals are collegial, inclusive, willing to help, but most importantly, make their students a priority.”

Before joining the SIU faculty, Anaza taught as an assistant professor of marketing at Francis Marion University in Florence, SC and as a visiting professor of marketing at Wuhan University in China. She was also a visiting scholar at the University of Applied Sciences Hochschule Ludwigshafen am Rhein Ludwigshafen, Germany and an instructor of relationship selling and a research fellow at Purdue University.

Anaza currently teaches Principles of Marketing, Professional Selling, Sales Management, and Promotions Strategy & Management.

Nicholas G. Hoffman, Coordinator of Assessment and Online Graduate Programs for the College of Business and Analytics. Nicholas hails from Rockford, Illinois. Nicholas joined SIU in 2006, eventually joining the College of Business and Analytics’ Online M.B.A. program in 2012. His responsibilities have expanded to encompass ensuring a positive experience for online graduate students from admission to graduation.

Nicholas earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science and psychology, as well as his master’s degree and doctoral training in applied psychology with an emphasis in program assessment and evaluation. He brings his expertise in program evaluation, assessment, and development to help guide the process of continuous improvement of student learning towards fulfillment of the CoBA mission.

Economics

Ph.D. 2001, University of Washington
Fields: Macroeconomic Theory, Economic Growth, International Economics

Selected Publications

• "Microfinance and Missing Markets," Canadian Journal of Economics, (with Shahe Emran and Joseph Stiglitz)
• "On Cross-country Differences in the Contribution of Nontraded Goods to Real Exchange Rate Fluctuations,” Open Economies Review, (with Erick Kitenge)
• "Unconditional Convergence of Labor Productivity in the Service Sector,” Journal of Macroeconomics, Vol. 59, pp. 217-229, 2019, (with Bisrat Kinfemichael)

Read Dr. Morshed's full profile >>

Professor Mykytyn’s research focuses on using information systems to achieve and sustain a competitive advantage; the relationship between information systems and the law, with special emphasis on intellectual property (patents, copyrights, and trademarks) as they relate to information systems and electronic commerce; use of group support systems to improve and support decision making with special interests involving virtual teams.

For more than 20 years, computer software has been patentable. Prime examples of business method patents, for example, would be Amazon.com's one-click ordering system and Priceline.com's reverse auction system. Businesses that invest the time and money to patent software, including business method software, must do so for a reason. Read Dr. Mykytyn's full profile >>

Jim Nelson, Ph.D., joined SIU in 2005 after more than ten years of industry experience and more than fifteen years of teaching and research experience. He earned a bachelor of science in computer science from California Polytechnic State University and worked as an “operating system pathologist” at IBM Santa Teresa Labs and then as a project manager at a California software startup. He went back to school at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and earned a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in information systems.

As director of the Pontikes Center for Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence he coordinates the development and implementation of analytics courses in the online M.B.A., residential M.B.A. and undergraduate business programs. He serves as the point of contact for the Pontikes Center Board of Advisors consisting of executives responsible for analytics efforts in major companies across the Midwest.  He has coined the term “hunch mining” to address the area of cognitive analytics. ...read full profile >>

Dr. Odom is a professor of accountancy and Deloitte and Touche Faculty Fellow. Professor Odom is an enthusiastic and engaging instructor.

Odom teaches undergraduate and graduate accounting information systems, internal auditing, fraud auditing, cost, and managerial accounting. Dr. Odom served as Director of the School of Accountancy from 2004 until 2014.

"The people I work with at the College are brilliant, cheerful and always willing to go the extra mile," said Odom.

Odom came to SIU in 1998 from The University of Southwestern Louisiana. He has also taught at Oklahoma State University and Central Texas College. ...read full profile >>

Ed O'Donnell didn't know what to expect when he came to the Southern Illinois University College of Business and Analytics, but he was quickly impressed with the students he encountered, "When presented with a new problem, our students' first reaction is to attack the challenge and try to conquer the problem rather than resist an unfamiliar challenge and complain that nobody had shown them how to deal with this kind of problem." This exemplifies O'Donnell's ability to recognize the qualities in his students.

O'Donnell joined the School of Accountancy faculty at the SIU College of Business and Analytics in the Fall of 2009. He teaches courses in financial statement auditing, information systems assurance, auditor risk assessment, and experimental accounting research methods. O'Donnell's area of expertise also includes enterprise risk management, accounting information systems, and information technology governance. Read Dr. O'Donnell's full profile >>

Professor Mark A. Peterson chose SIU for “its geographical location and its people,” he said. “Our students, many of whom are from the region, share the same values that my family and I have.”

Peterson joined the SIU faculty in 1997. He researches investments, in general, and market microstructure in particular. Market microstructure deals with the subject of trading in financial assets. Current research projects include an analysis of how short selling regulation affects trading of stocks and the benefits of using investment bankers in raising equity capital.

From 1996 to 1999, Peterson was a visiting economist at the Office of Economic Analysis, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Read Dr. Peterson's full profile >>