WT’s Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business Announces Professorship Appointments

CONTACT: Lynsee Bjork, 806-651-2526, lbjork@wtamu.edu

CANYON, Texas—The Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University has appointed four new endowed professorship positions for Fall 2020.  

Appointed professors are Dr. Neil Terry as the Engler Professor of Economics, Dr. John Francois as the Donald W. Hodges Professor of Business, Dr. Liang Chen as the McCray Professor of Business Analytics and Dr. Ashley Morgan as the Macy Professor of Business.

The Engler Professorship of Economics was established in 2020 by the Paul & Virginia Engler Foundation to advance the mission of WT by supporting the teaching, research, and service activities in the Engler College of Business.

Terry, provost & executive vice president and professor of economics, earned a bachelor of arts degree in economics and history from California State University at Sacramento, followed by master’s and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Texas Tech University. His post-doctoral training includes the Management Development Program at Harvard University.

Terry joined WT in 1997 as an assistant professor and served as the dean of the College of Business from 2006 through 2019. During his time as dean, the business program achieved significant milestones, including earning initial Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business accreditation in 2012, the naming of the college in partnership with the Paul and Virginia Engler Foundation, and doubling enrollment numbers.

Terry teaches in the areas of labor economics, macroeconomic theory, and microeconomic theory. His journal publications in 2020 include articles in International Advances in Economic Research, Journal of Finance & Accountancy, Journal of Global Business Management and Southwestern Economic Review.  

“The personal respect, admiration, and friendship which Neil and I have built over time make him a great choice to be honored with an endowed professorship in the Engler College of Business,” Paul Engler said.  

The Friends of the College of Business and the Paul and Virginia Engler Foundation established the Hodges professorship in 2020 to enhance high-quality instruction and research in business ethics, corporate governance, and economic development at WT.

Francois, assistant professor of economics, earned a master’s and a Ph.D. from the University of Kansas before joining the College of Business in January of 2017. Francois teaches various graduate and undergraduate courses in economic growth and development, international economics, and quantitative methods. His research highlights include publications in Economics Letters, Economics Bulletin, Economic Modelling and The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics.

“Dr. Francois is an excellent example of a faculty member that consistently provides dedicated efforts to advance the teaching, research, and service mission of the Engler College of Business,” said Dr. Amjad Abdullat, dean of the Engler College of Business.

The McCray Professor of Business Analytics was established by Friends of the Engler College of Business and the Paul & Virginia Engler Foundation in 2020 to honor James and Mogie McCray and promote high-quality instruction and scholarship in the Texas Panhandle.

Chen, assistant professor of computer information systems, joined the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business in 2016. He received a bachelor’s and a master’s of business administration with a concentration of management information systems from Renmin University of China and a Ph.D. in decision science and information systems from the University of Kentucky in 2015.

Chen teaches data mining, quantitative analysis in business, data analytics, and advanced business forecasting. His research highlights include publications in the Journal of Management Information Systems, Decision Support Systems, International Journal of Operations & Production Management, and Journal of Research in Business Information Systems.

“Dr. Chen has significantly advanced the quality of our graduate business programs by offering students access to courses that employ analytic tools and emerging research,” Abdullat said.

The Anne Macy Professorship was established in 2020 by Drs. Anne Macy & Neil Terry and the Paul & Virginia Engler Foundation. The professorship supports continuous improvement efforts that advance the business program at WT. Selection priority for the professorship is a WT graduate that has transitioned to a faculty position in the Engler College of Business.

Morgan, assistant professor of marketing, received a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s in finance and economics from WT before completing a Ph.D. in marketing at the University of Mississippi in 2020. Morgan teaches marketing theory, sports & entertainment marketing, and marketing strategy. Her research includes journal publications in the International Advances in Economic Research and Southwestern Economic Review.

“It is a personal honor to be named the Macy Professor of Business,” Morgan said. “Dr. Macy’s service, encouragement, and personal investment in educating students and working with colleagues mark her as an excellent mentor and role model.”

Such professorships are key to reaching WT’s mission of offering intellectually challenging, critically reflective and regionally responsive academic programs, as outlined in the University’s long-term plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World.

The continuing professor appointments are as follows:

• Leslie Ramos Salazar, Dr. Amjad Abdullat Professor of Business
• Neil Meredith, Hassan and Jill Dana Professor of Business
• Sharon Burnett, Gene Edwards Professor of Accounting
• Barbara Wang, Gene Edwards Professor of Banking
• Anne Macy, Gene Edwards Professor of Finance
• Oscar Solis, Gene Edwards Professor of Financial Planning
• De’Arno De’Armond, Paul Engler Professor of Business
• Kelly McCauley, Paul and Virginia Engler Professor of Management
• Jillian Yarbrough, Virginia Engler Professor of Business
• Trevor Watkins, J.W. and Nell Foust Professor of Business
• Jeffry Babb, Dr. Phil Gensler Professor of Computer Information Systems
• Nick Gerlich, J. Pat Hickman Professor of Marketing
• James Owens, Don Hodges Professor of Corporate Governance
• Marisa Crisostomo, Dr. Jerry Miller Professor of Entrepreneurship
• Darlene Pulliam, James and Mogie McCray Professor of Business
• Robin Patterson, Don Patterson Professor of Business Law
• Sean Humpherys, T. Boone Pickens Professor of Business
• Eric Hoffmann, T. Boone Pickens Professor of Economics
• Jonathan Shaffer, T. Boone Pickens Professor of Management
• Karyn Friske, Stanley Schaeffer Professor of Business Ethics
• Bin Shao, Drs. Neil and Anne Terry Professor of Business
• Robert King, David Wilder Professor of Business
• Andrew Li, Don Williams Professor of Management

About West Texas A&M University

WT is located in Canyon, Texas, on a 342-acre residential campus. Established in 1910, the University has been part of The Texas A&M University System since 1990. With enrollment of more than 10,000, WT offers 60 undergraduate degree programs, 38 master’s degrees and two doctoral degrees. The University is also home to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, the largest history museum in the state and the home of one of the Southwest’s finest art collections. The Buffaloes are a member of the NCAA Division II Lone Star Conference and offers 15 men’s and women’s athletics programs.

—WTAMU—