Strong Leadership Continues Through Change

On October 1, 2012, I will be assuming a new position as Dean of the College of Business at Florida International University—a large state research university in Miami.   On that same day, Dr. Eric Jack will assume the responsibilities as Interim Dean of the UAB School of Business.  Often a decision to make a career change is driven by significant professional opportunities or by important family/personal options.  My decision to join FIU was a factor of both incentives.   FIU is a highly respected, rapidly growing place of world-class and global-based education and research.  On the personal side, my granddaughter and her parents live in Florida, and I look forward to being closer to them.  However, I have sadness in leaving UAB, as this is an exceptional place of research, teaching and community service.  The UAB School of Business is fully engaged in the many special missions of UAB, especially in the missions of cross-discipline academic programs/research and the commercialization of the life-changing intellectual property generated by the great minds of UAB. 

My joy is the knowledge that the continuing leadership of UAB and its School of Business will continue to lift the School to even greater productivity in student learning/career options and entrepreneurial activities impacting the economic growth of the region.  I am especially proud of the talent, focus, and kindness of Dr. Eric Jack and Dr. Karen Kennedy, the associate deans of the School for the last 4 ½ years.  They have been true partners in leadership.  They have been critical participants in our growth and transition to campus-wide and community engagement. Their efforts in student growth have been essential in generating the funding to support the hiring of 28 new world-class, teacher-scholars and to expand our support for cross-discipline research and programs.  I also have joy in the quality of the three department chairs – Drs. Molly Wasko, Bob Robicheaux, and Lary Cowart – as each can take pride in the growth of quality programs in their departments, driven by ongoing support of faculty and staff and the hiring of new teacher-scholars.  And most critically, the more than 65 faculty and staff members are mission-focused professionals who individually and collectively are servant leaders of student learning, and contributors to the life-changing discovery/research that defines UAB. 

Thanks to the continuous, outpouring support from alumni and community leaders, and the many exceptional accomplishments of our faculty, students and alumni, I depart from UAB knowing that the School of Business is thriving and excelling to new heights of recognition for high-quality business education!

The Impact of Faculty Recruiting in the Accounting Discipline

In just the past few years we have recruited 10 new faculty members in accounting---three  full professors with exceptional long-term records as teacher-scholars , one associate professor, four assistant professors with new degrees from world-class PhD  programs, and two instructors with long and  prominent industry careers . All ten of these new faculty members bring exceptional academic backgrounds, and all have worked in industry positions which have enhanced their classroom skills. See full biographical info on each new faculty member here. But, let me highlight a couple of them to give you a flavor of the high quality and student focus of this new group of faculty. 

Joining the faculty this fall are two senior faculty members from quality academic programs in California. Dr Arline Savage comes to UAB from the Orfalea College of Business at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, California—where she was the Deloitte Faculty Fellow. She holds a PhD from the University of Port Elizabeth, South Africa and has taught accounting in South Africa, Canada, and the US. She is the recipient of major awards in both teaching and in research. She has also been an active consultant to several private equity firms.  Dr. Savage is an example of a  faculty member who brings all the key skills and experiences to be both exceptional in the classroom and as a researcher who fits the model of an outstanding investigator common at UAB---a scholar respected by international peers. Also coming from California is Dr Terry Grant. Terry was a visiting Professor this past spring from the Mihaylo College of Business at Cal State Fullerton (the largest accounting program in California). He joins us fulltime this fall.   Terry earned a PhD at Florida State and a BS with high honors from the University of Alabama. Dr Grant brings many years teaching experience as the accounting area coordinator at the US Air Force Academy. Like Dr Savage, Dr Grant also has a record of excellence in research—with both awards for best papers and funded support from KPMG (audit, tax and advisory firm).

Instructor Eddie Nabors joined our faculty in fall 2011 and has been a true blessing to our students—as he brings several decades of high level real-world experience to our classrooms. I have stopped counting the number of times students have stopped me in the hallway to say how much they appreciate the opportunity to be mentored by Eddie Nabors. Eddie holds a BS and a Masters in accounting and has served as the CFO of a public company and as the CEO of a private entrepreneurial company.  But the most impressive thing about Eddie is his very intense commitment to mentoring our students. His genuine passion for pushing students to achieve their best is a wonder to see. And the students know it is real and respond by stepping up their game.  

Much has changed in the last few years in the Accounting area at UAB. But one thing is clear –we have in place top-tier faculty demonstrating excellence in both teaching and research. However, we will not rest. Under the direction of Interim Chair Dr Lary Cowart, we will be recruiting more new respected faculty members in the coming year.  In addition to introducing new faculty members, I am also very pleased to report that Professor Ollie Powers will be taking a sabbatical from retirement to teach a financial accounting class this fall.