Walton College Announces Faculty Awards

As chair of the Sam M. Walton College of Business faculty awards, Molly Rapert, associate professor in the department of marketing and logistics, has announced this year's winners. Her committee included: John Norwood, professor, department of accounting; Venki Venkatesh, professor, department of information systems; Bill Curington, co-director, office of global engagement; John Delery, professor, department of management; and Tomas Jandik, associate professor, department of finance.

Best All-Around Faculty Member: Scot Burton, department of marketing & logistics

Burton, a professor who holds the Wal-Mart Chair in Marketing, tackles teaching, research and service with excellence. The beauty of Burton's record is that he would be a competitive contender for the Best All-Around Award every year. He teaches at all three academic levels, providing leadership in the doctoral programs, challenging classes in the graduate programs, and innovative courses for undergrads. His research accomplishments are legendary. For 2010, he had four acceptances in peer-reviewed journals, six articles published in peer-reviewed journals, countless proceedings, and more. His service work for the institution is extraordinary, exceeded only by his service to the academy. The Journal of Public Policy and Marketing named Burton as the Outstanding Reviewer of the Year.

Excellence in Research: Chris Rosen, assistant professor, department of management

During 2010, Rosen had five scholarly papers accepted for publication in highly respected journals, one paper published in a prestigious journal, and a book chapter published in a research series. His journal articles will appear in some of the most prestigious journals in the field, including the Journal of Applied Psychology, Personnel Psychology, the Journal of Management, and Human Resource Management Review. These papers focus on issues related to Rosen's primary research interests in organizational behavior. Specifically, he focuses on employee attitudes and behavior and the factors that influence them in work organizations. In addition to substantive areas of research, he and his colleagues now published a number of papers focusing on improving and validating the measurement of higher-order multidimensional constructs that have become more popular in recent years. Rosen also plays a vital role in developing new research scholars through the doctoral program. Three of his accepted publications this year were co-authored with Walton College doctoral students.

Excellence in Teaching: Robert Stapp, clinical associate professor, department of economics

Economics is no easy topic to teach, because it requires students to master some very technical skills such as math, finance, and accounting, as well as knowledge of sociology, psychology, even politics. During year 2010, Stapp has taught six distinct course preparations, from sophomore to upper level classes, including honors courses. Despite this wide reach, as well as his stringent level of grading, Stapp earned the highest student teaching evaluations across the board in the whole Walton College. The vast majority of students ranked him among the best teachers they ever had. His dedication to the students outside of the classroom makes him a genuine motivator and mentor. During the last year, a total of six of his advisees were the recipient of the prestigious undergraduate SURF grants. In addition, he has served as an advisor to several successful student and university organizations, such as Japanese Student Organization, Clubbe Economique, and the Booster Club. Stapp has been helping the next generation of teachers and instructors as the member of the Center for Teaching Excellence Steering Committee.

Excellence in Service: Vikas Anand, associate professor, department of management

Anand works tirelessly as the Ph.D. coordinator for the department of management, influencing the lives of the doctoral students as they carve their pathways in the academic discipline. He is also responsible for the brown bag sessions and fostering a research environment that extends beyond his department. He is active in the Academy of Management, National Science Foundation, European Union's Research Commission (FP7), and numerous committees within the college. His work with the Office of Global Engagement centers on a partnership with the Fortune Institute of International Business in India, forming initiatives between the Walton College and India. His personal philosophy is that the role of every faculty member is to create an environment that facilitates the creation and dissemination of knowledge.

Excellence in Diversity Initiatives: Gary Ferrier, chair and professor, department of economics

Ferrier is the diversity "champion" for the Walton College. He helps the college in pursuing diversity as one of its strategic thrusts and works closely within the college to further develop and implement the college's diversity plan. He is instrumental in helping every department in the college to develop its own diversity plan. Within his own department, he has directed efforts to reach out to different colleges and universities to identify faculty members who can visit the economics department and the college to give research seminars. He has similarly ensured that faculty hiring in the economics department attracts a diverse applicant pool. In the past year, there has been more money allocated to diversity linked scholarships and there has been money allocated for summer research support for issues related to diversity and inclusiveness. Ferrier is also continuing to develop his ideas related to diversity. He has attended conferences to learn more about how the college can recruit and retain a diverse faculty. His simple, yet powerful philosophical stand related to diversity: "all people should be included."

Excellence in Teaching (Graduate Student): Samantha Conroy, department of management

This past year Conroy taught "Acquiring and Managing Human Capital." Her students gave her outstanding evaluations and their comments described an instructor with an effective teaching style.

• "Loved the class and Professor Conroy."
• "She is no nice, helpful. She is a smart teacher."
• "She is prepared for class," "you can see the efforts she puts in." "She seems genuinely interested in us."

In describing her teaching beliefs and values Conroy states "my students deserve an instructor that is well prepared and concerned about their leaning." She also states that undergraduates are preparing for their careers; this means that, in addition to course content, they need to learn personal responsibility.