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From staff reports

Asbury University’s Howard and Beverly Dayton School of Business strives to help students become the best for the world.
The impact of this holistic approach to business education was especially evident as the Dayton School of Business honored graduating seniors at its annual Business Banquet on April 25.
During the banquet, faculty highlighted the accomplishments of students for the 2018-2019 academic year. Six seniors were honored for outstanding academic achievement including: student of the year in accounting, Ian Tan; student of the year in business management, Samuel Clif Conley; student of the year in marketing, Kaylee Van Winkle; student of the year in sport management, Austin Baker; professor’s choice award, Milcah Cobb; outstanding student of the year, Alexandria George.
Three Dayton Scholars including George, Cole Jordan and Ali Rexford were also among the graduating seniors present.
The banquet began with a prayer from School of Business Dean Michael Kane.
During the dinner, Student Body President and accounting major Ben Campbell reflected on his four years in the Dayton School of Business. Campbell shared about how both the courses and professors in the Dayton School of Business have helped him grow into the person he is today.
“Asbury and the School of Business have placed me in a number of different positions to learn,” Campbell said. “The skills that I’ve been able to fine tune and acquire while at Asbury, and specifically through the School of Business, will serve me well beyond the walls of this institution and I’m very confident in that. I believe Asbury does well in allowing students space and breadth to take hold of their education and to make it their own.”
The Asbury difference was palpable as Dr. Kevin Brown highlighted many of the accomplishments of School of Business students from the 2018-2019 academic year.
Business students have applied their classroom knowledge to meaningful outlets including an alumni-student mentorship program that began last fall, competitive internships and a leadership initiative partnership entitled Breakfast with Fred. Students also attended a number of conferences and competitions over the course of the academic year. Among those competitions was the International Collegiate Sales Competition where Asbury placed sixth out of 79 universities.
Marketing major Van Winkle, who participated in several sales competitions this year, acted out a skillful six-minute sales pitch with Dr. George Allen, giving banquet guests a taste of what Asbury marketing classes have taught her and her fellow students.
Dr. Sandra C. Gray, university president and former business professor, spoke at length about her relationship with Asbury’s School of Business and the ways in which God has blessed the school over time.
“It was this program that helped propel me into what God had for me at Asbury and so the business school, has always been a very, very special place,” Gray said.
Gray shared a message from the book of Joshua and spoke about the faithfulness of God, encouraging seniors to rely on Him as they enter into their careers.
“I want to challenge you to choose whom you will serve,” Gray said. “For us, this challenge might mean choosing God over a career where you would sacrifice your time or choosing God rather than the praise of men which fuels your ego. I might even say, as Joshua certainly would have said, if you do not choose God, then whom will you serve?”
Kane also presented Gray with a parting gift, a framed painting of Asbury, during the evening’s activities.
Members of Asbury’s Phi Beta Lambda Business Club presented Professor Richard Wright with the Student-Faculty Advisor of the Year Award for his help in Business Club endeavors this year.
“This has been a good year for our school,” Kane said. “This has been a good year for our students. We’re very proud of what they’ve accomplished but we’re more proud of who they’ve become. We challenge our students, which you heard. We challenge them academically; we challenge them in their faith. We lift them up and come beside them and they make our lives more fulfilling for having done that. Thank you, graduating seniors. We wish you well.”