Walton College Professor Awarded Walmart Lectureship in Retailing

Photo by Sam M. Walton College of Business

Molly Rapert

Molly Rapert, an esteemed marketing professor at the University of Arkansas, has been awarded the prestigious Walmart Lectureship in Retailing within the Sam M. Walton College of Business. 

This endowed position was established by Sam and Helen Walton in 1973 to honor the highest level of academic and intellectual achievement in retail. 

Expressing her gratitude and excitement for this new role, Rapert shared, “I am deeply honored to be awarded the Walmart Lectureship. This position allows me to further my commitment to student development and to foster stronger connections between our college and the retail industry. I cherish my relationships with students and aim to enhance classroom engagement while expanding internship and career opportunities.”

One way Rapert accomplishes this is by utilizing innovative teaching methods. She set up a retail advisory board and conducts comprehensive digital and in-store walks with her students and executives. This dedication to her students' success and the advancement of marketing education sets her classes apart, making Rapert an ideal recipient of the Walmart Lectureship in Retailing.

AN ACADEMIC INSPIRATION

Rapert has been a cornerstone of the Walton College faculty for more than 30 years, making exceptional contributions to the marketing program as both a professor and director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness. She has also been a visiting professor with Cimba for the past 24 years, spending her summers teaching in Paderno del Grappa, Italy.

Rapert’s research focuses on the impact of pro-social dispositions on consumer choices, the competitive advantages businesses gain through sustainability initiatives and cause-related marketing. Her acclaimed scholarly work has been featured in prominent journals such as the Journal of Business Research, the Journal of Global Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal of Managerial Issues.

“This prestigious lectureship was made possible by a visionary gift from Sam and Helen Walton,” said Gary Peters, senior associate dean of Walton College. “The recipient is nominated based on overall excellence, teaching ability and intellectual leadership in retailing. Dr. Rapert epitomizes these attributes, and her contributions and ability to impact students are renowned among our alumni. Her steadfast commitment over the years has been instrumental in evolving our college into the nationally recognized top business school it is today.”

THE WALK THAT STARTED IT ALL

Rapert’s academic origin story is unique. After joining her brother during a campus tour in 1978, she became fascinated by the names etched on Senior Walk. The sheer number of people from all different walks of life having this common experience of attending the U of A left an impression on Rapert. She went on to receive both her B.S. and M.B.A. degrees from Walton College and a Ph.D. from the University of Memphis. Rapert’s love for the university is clear from the length of her tenure and the fact that three of her four children have also graduated from the Walton College.

Multiple nominations and awards decorate her nearly 34-year career, including the Top-in-Nation Marketing Faculty Award from the Marketing Management Association in 2010. Only one of two faculty members in the U of A’s history to win a university-wide teaching award twice, she received the Arkansas Alumni Association Teaching Award in 2002 and the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award in 2012. Most recently, Rapert was recognized as the 2024 Cimba MBA Professor of the Year. 

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business is AACSB-accredited and ranks among the top business schools in the nation. Walton College is the largest college at the University of Arkansas, serving nearly 9,000 undergraduate, master's and doctoral students. Walton College is recognized among U.S. News & World Report's 2023 "Best Business Schools," and its undergraduate supply chain management program was ranked No. 1 in North America by Gartner. The college's Master of Business Administration program was also ranked No. 11 for best return on investment by The Wall Street Journal. The Princeton Review ranked the college's graduate entrepreneurship program as one of the top in the country for the first time in the 2022-23 year. And in partnership with the Global Campus, the U of A's online business degree program ranked No. 12 nationally among 214 institutions by U.S. News in 2023.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.