November 1, 2018
Time, Talent and Treasure: an Interview with Mark Copeland
As Mark Copeland puts it, “I have been fortunate enough to serve as a member of the Board of Visitors, College of Business Advisory Council, East Carolina University Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees.”
And, he is the southwest region transaction advisory services leader for EY, and he lives in the Dallas suburbs.
He is a very busy person, but he’s also reflective.
He and his family believe that the East Carolina University and the College of Business education has provided them with the foundation to achieve success in their careers and communities. Mark’s wife is a 1995 College of Business graduate and had a successful career in corporate accounting before taking on the most important role, according to Mark, “serving as a great Mom for our two children, Taylor (15) and Bryan (10).”
Not only is Mark busy, but he’s also appreciative and active in ECU’s community.
“From a support standpoint, our family feels that it is important to share our talent, time and treasure across the entire University. Having the opportunity to serve ECU in a variety of capacities has provided a deeper understanding of the transformational impact that our great university has on our students, faculty, staff and all the residents of Eastern North Carolina.
From a treasure perspective, providing financial support was engrained while a student at ECU. I was fortunate to receive a number of College of Business scholarships that were funded by donors that believed in the students at ECU and the future impact they would make. Additionally, another event that embodied the “Pirates Supporting Pirates” slogan occurred when Bob Ward, then the chief financial officer for Unifi, Inc., reached out to his accounting firm and demanded that an ECU student be provided with an internship opportunity. I was fortunate enough to be selected to intern with Ernst & Young in Greensboro, North Carolina, and work on the audit for Unifi, Inc. While Mr. Ward had no idea who I was, he believed in our students and understood that we were ready for any challenge presented in the business world.
These events had a profound impact on our lives and set us on a journey to ensure that we contribute as much of our treasure as possible to support the next generation of business leaders that will emerge from the College of Business.”
Why do you feel it’s important to support both ECU and College of Both?
ECU and the College of Business need strong, energetic and passionate leaders to share their talent, time and treasure. The leadership demonstrated by the College of Business positions our alumni to make a significant impact across all facets of East Carolina University. We have been faced with a challenging fiscal environment for a number of years. As such, the entire University has been very creative by fostering a positive learning environment for our 29,000+ student body. If we can harness more of the talents developed by our College of Business graduates, there is no doubt we can assist the entire University to even greater success during our second 100 years.
Additionally, ECU should never be considered the University of North Carolina Greenville as our impact is much greater. The teachers throughout Eastern North Carolina were educated at ECU while the leading health care provided to the families in this region are delivered by Brody School of Medicine trained physicians. Many of our business leaders attended the College of Business as well. Therefore, we need every Pirate to spread the message of the great success being delivered by ECU.
With the recent addition of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, our alumni can make an impact serving as ambassadors in their local communities. The College of Business is developing councils across the state to discuss critical areas that need to be considered as the Miller School of Entrepreneurship continues to mature. These councils not only provide valuable feedback to the College of Business, but they also serve as judges for competitions and mentors to our students. Any graduates interested in serving in any of these capacities should contact the College of Business to learn more.
Please describe the first time you gave to ECU and/or College of Business. What was the impetus for you to give then? When did you know when you wanted to give back?
From a treasure standpoint, we started giving back to ECU as soon as we graduated. ECU has always been at the top of our philanthropic priorities given the significant impact the College of Business made in our lives. The education and experiences at ECU laid the foundation that enabled success in business for the past 22 years. One of the key catalysts for my family is that other Pirates invested in our futures with the belief that we could make a positive impact without knowing us by name. We feel that it is important to make the same investment in our future leaders given that we hold the same belief as the Pirates that came before us.
It has been really rewarding to meet the students and families that have been awarded our scholarships. To meet these students as freshmen and to watch their growth over their four years at ECU has allowed us to realize the impact that these scholarships have for the students and their families. One of these students, Rebecca Wagner, recently graduated and will be joining me as a colleague at our EY office in Washington, DC. Watching the success achieved by Rebecca reinforces the impact that we can all make for the great students in our College of Business.
What are the ways alumni can give back to the College of Business? How can they get involved?
The College of Business provides many different avenues for our alumni to get involved. Whether mentoring students, serving as a guest speaker in the classroom, joining the College of Business Advisory Council, recruiting and hiring our students, attending and speaking at the Business Leadership Conference, serving as a judge for student competitions or providing student scholarships, there are many ways to get involved. Please reach out to the College of Business to explore these opportunities as we need engagement from all Pirates to continue to be a leading College of Business in North Carolina.
At a minimum, I would challenge all of our 26,000+ College of Business Alumni to stay in touch through Facebook or LinkedIn. Please update your alumni profile information as your life and career progress. This will allow the College of Business to keep you better informed of the impact being made by ECU.
How important is it to stay involved with your alma mater?
Staying involved with ECU and the College of Business is critical when considering the continual challenges facing higher education. With the budget cuts that have been passed to ECU and the College of Business, the need for all levels of support is important to our long-term success. As the Chancellor outlines his vision for ECU to be the next great national university, we need the College of Business to serve as the tip of the spear for this initiative. To ensure that the College of Business is the leader in this initiative, we all need to board the pirate ship and row in sync.
If the alumni do not stay engaged, what impact will that have on the College of Business?
The passion displayed by the Pirate Nation is a key strength for us on the playing fields and in the classroom. We need to display this passion with our College of Business because it will position it as a leader for many generations to come. While the level of engagement can certainly shift as work and family commitments evolve, a relationship with the College of Business is rewarding, and the results are measurable and meaningful. When College of Business students experience this engagement, it will enhance their experience, and quite possibly increase the likelihood of future engagement upon graduation.
The worst position for our College of Business is for our alumni to be apathetic. If this were to be the case, the College of Business would be challenged to maintain (i) our position as the leader in distance education, (ii) our stature as a leading business school in the State of North Carolina, (iii) our ACCSB accreditation and (iv) our outstanding faculty, and in turn, great students. While I believe this would never happen at ECU given our passion and drive for success, we need all hands on deck to ensure future success for the College of Business.
What opportunities await the College of Business if alumni are energized and active?
With an engaged alumni base, the opportunities for the College of Business are limitless. When considering the growth and impact made by the College of Business over our 80-year existence, the opportunity to do even more is right before our eyes. When considering the Rural Prosperity Initiative to improve the quality of life, health, education and employment for the people of Eastern North Carolina, the College of Business has the opportunity to take a leading role with many groups to develop new tools and approaches that drive job creation, health innovation and educational improvements in rural and coastal communities.
Additionally, an engaged alumni base will also present our faculty and staff with professionals to spur research and thought leadership that positions ECU and the College of Business as a leader in boardrooms and classrooms across the United States and globally. The engagement of our alumni with our faculty and staff will also facilitate a healthy dialogue that will allow curriculum changes so our students are well prepared for new innovations that can impact business.
Finally, an energized alumni base will enhance our student experience. The sharing of our experiences with students allows for the connection of classroom learnings with real-life events shared by our alumni. These case studies provide a great venue for our students to ask questions and learn from professionals that have deep industry experience.
What’s your best sales pitch when other alumni ask you if they should get involved with giving back to the College of Business?
In complete honesty, the relationships that have been built with the students, faculty and staff are worth every minute of giving back to the College of Business. The relationships with Dean Rick Niswander, Dean Stan Eakins and now, Dean Paul Schwager have been invaluable. To have a front-row seat watching each of these leaders take the College of Business to the next level has been extremely rewarding. In addition to our leadership, it is amazing to witness the commitment the faculty and staff have to our students. When considering that many of my professors, Dr. Doug Schneider, Dr. Mark McCarthy, Dr. Dan Schisler, to name a few, are still here 22 years after my graduation is a true testament to their belief in the mission of ECU and the College of Business.
As the new chair of the College of Business’ BAC, what are your goals?
First of all, we are very fortunate to have such a great group of leaders that are giving their time to the College of Business. This group of leaders provide tremendous leadership that has assisted the College of Business with (i) the development of the Leadership & Professional Development Program, (ii) the development of the curriculum for the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, (iii) the introduction of the Business Leadership Conference and (iv) the AACSB accreditation process. It is an honor to work with such great leaders to provide guidance and assistance to the College of Business. As we look forward, my primary goal is to ensure that the College of Business Advisory Council works with the College of Business to introduce a committee structure that includes members, faculty and students. The committee structure will allow these leaders to focus on key initiatives outlined by the Dean to ensure that we are focused on the priorities that will position the College of Business for long-term success.
In addition to the implementation of an active committee structure, Dean Schwager and I have spoken about the need for the development of a strategic plan that has measurable goals. We are in a highly competitive industry; therefore, we need to innovate more quickly than our competitors to ensure that we can have a first-mover advantage over the other business schools. The plan development also will be a key area of focus over the next 12 months.
Finally, the College of Business will be entering the AACSB accreditation process shortly; therefore, we will also be sure that the College of Business Advisory Council is ready to be supportive, as needed, throughout this process.
What are your plans for helping ECU and the College of Business?
Looking into the future, I am excited to assist ECU and the College of Business in any capacity that is needed. With one year remaining on my term with the board of trustees, I look forward to working with my fellow Trustees to ensure that we work closely with the Chancellor and his Executive Leadership Council to achieve our strategic priorities for East Carolina University. ECU is achieving a tremendous amount of success while making a transformational impact for the citizens of Eastern North Carolina.
For the College of Business, I am hopeful that the Dean will allow for my continued membership on the College of Business Advisory Council! The College of Business is the shining star for ECU, and we need to protect and enhance this asset as we move into the future. When we look back on the journey that our College of Business has taken over the past 82 years, I am really excited to watch where our path takes us over the next generation. I am very encouraged by our current leadership and even more excited to follow the stories of our future graduates.
Five years from now, what headline would you like to read about the College of Business?
In five years, I look forward to reading about the impact that the College of Business has made across Eastern North Carolina. With the Rural Prosperity Initiative, the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, ECU Millennial Campus, I fully expect that the College of Business will be viewed as the tip of the spear that drove growth across Eastern North Carolina. Whether serving as an independent sounding board for up and coming businesses and entrepreneurs, assisting small business with securing funding and grants to enable growth, assisting with business recruitment initiatives or partnering with county agencies to recruit new business ventures, I am confident that our College of Business will be a strategic partner that will enable the achievement of these goals.
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