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Photo of Frank Fumich on top of a mountain with the WVU Let's Go flag

Frank Fumich: Mountain Man

Frank Fumich: Mountain Man

Chambers College alumnus Frank Fumich no longer lives in West Virginia, but he’s still called to the mountains – specifically, Mount Everest. 

Fumich plans to summit Mount Everest as part of the Explorer’s Grand Slam, an adventuring challenge that’s already taken him to the other six highest peaks in the world as well as the North and South Poles. He anticipates completing the Explorer’s Grand Slam in 2026, which will make him only the 18th person in history to do so. 

Fumich may be close to the finish line, but he’s not slowing down. 

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve always wanted to push myself to see what I’m capable of,” Fumich said. “That philosophy has proven key to my athletic pursuits as well as my business accomplishments. You never learn anything about yourself by sitting on the couch!”

Read more about Frank Fumich's achievements.

Tipping Points

Here’s a tip for New York City taxi drivers seeking bigger tips: Pick up tourists. Adam Nowak, associate professor of economics, and Amir B. Ferreira Neto, ’19, PhD Economics, studied data on yellow taxis in the Big Apple to see if tourists tipped more than locals. They do. Furthermore, theatergoers tip more than non-theatergoers, based on their findings that zeroed-in on drop-offs and pickups near Broadway. These differences between tourists and locals may affect the allocation of taxis throughout the city, conclude Nowak, Neto and Amanda Ross, of the University of Alabama.

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Trending

Twitter is more than rantin’ and ravin’ and snarky memes. It can influence stock returns, according to Alexander Kurov, professor and Fred T. Tattersall research chair in finance. Kurov and Chen Gu, a 2018 graduate of the finance doctoral program, found that firm-level Twitter content has information useful for predicting next-day stock returns, and that it is a stronger predictor of returns for firms with less analyst coverage. Their study, “ Informational role of social media: Evidence from Twitter sentiment,” is published in the Journal of Banking and Finance.

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When Life Hands You Lemons

In September 2019, our CEO Club donated the money from its Lemonade Day, which was held spring 2019, to WVU Medicine Children’s. Not only did local Morgantown kids learn how to run a profitable lemonade stand, but they were also able to support a great cause that will go on to help other children in our community.

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Cyber Successes

Christopher Ramezan, assistant professor of management information systems and coordinator of the business cybersecurity management program, was recently recognized for his teaching prowess by two different organizations. 

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Celebrating in Style

When COVID-19 hit, many faculty members were left learning virtual tools and hoping for some good news. Our Associate Professor of Marketing, Dr. Laurel Cook, did both. Cook receiving the news of her award of tenure was both exciting and joyful – a rainbow over the year 2020. While she could not throw the celebration party she had always wanted out of respect for our state’s COVID-19 restrictions, she did throw a one-of-a-kind photo session to share her news. “As a first-generation faculty member, this achievement is a reflection of the support and encouragement of my family,” said Cook. “Plus, this award bodes well for future generations in my family, and I am also incredibly grateful to West Virginia University and Chambers College.”

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