Comprehensive University Endowment Trust Fund

The Tom W. Hutchens Endowed Professorship is occupied by Fred L. Miller, Ph.D, professor of marketing and telecommunication systems management (TSM). Dr. Miller leads the Emerging Technologies in Marketing Initiative of the Center for Entrepreneurship within the College of Business at Murray State University.

Dr. Miller holds a B.A. from Centenary College, an M.B.A from Murray State University, and a Ph.D from Temple University. He has taught in the Department of Management, Marketing, and Business Administration in the College of Business for twenty-eight years. He has expanded the marketing curriculum with courses in eCommerce and Business GIS. He has developed traditional and online classes in both these areas. As a result of his efforts Murray State was among the first U.S. universities to offer online courses in both these fields and is still one of the few U.S. business schools with a dedicated Business Geographic Information System (GIS) course.

The focus of the Hutchens Professorship is Integrated Business GIS. Business GIS combines extensive mapping capability, spatial analytical tools, and relational database management capabilities to create new analytical and visualization capabilities. Integrated Business GIS adds extensive, current collections of demographic, lifestyle and business data, automated spatial analysis tools for business and a full suite of pre-configured reports to this mix. This places Business GIS tools within the financial and technical reach of a wide range of organizations, including large and small corporations, economic and community development groups and local service organizations. During the 2010-2011 academic year, these resources were used to support the following accomplishments:

Publication of the Getting to Know ESRI Business Analyst book authored by Dr. Miller through ESRI Press;
Completed agreement for a new series of Business GIS SpatiaLABS from ESRI Press;
Design and initial offering of two new Business GIS courses, one both at the graduate and undergraduate levels;
Design and implementation of an undergraduate Business GIS Certificate program;
Design and implementation of Business GIS options within the undergraduate marketing program and the graduate MBA and geosciences programs;
Completion of five Business GIS projects with regional and university clients using student project and program resources;
Participation in the Kentucky Broadband Mapping Project as a member of the Data Validation Team;
Presentations at state, regional and national conferences on Business GIS topics and several seminars for regional organizations; and
Acquisition and installation of latest version of Business Analyst software in College of Business and TSM teaching labs.

By developing Integrated Business GIS teaching, research and service capabilities at Murray State, we can prepare our students for new career opportunities with global organizations while simultaneously supporting our growing commitment to entrepreneurship and regional stewardship. We are among the first universities in the world to utilize this opportunity, which further enhances Murray State’s reputation as an innovative, high quality institution.

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