Feb. 21, 2012
CONTACT: Rana McDonald, 806-651-2129, rmcdonald@mail.wtamu.eduWTAMU College of Business Announces Professorship Appointments
CANYON, Texas—Officials in the College of Business at West Texas A&M University have named three faculty members as recipients of three endowed professorship positions—the Gene Edwards Professorship of Banking, the T. Boone Pickens Professorship of Business and the Stanley Schaeffer Professorship of Business Ethics. 
Dr. Pradeep Racherla, assistant professor of marketing, has been named the Gene Edwards Professor of Banking. Racherla earned his doctorate degree at Temple University in 2008 and joined West Texas A&M University faculty that same year. Racherla’s publication record includes articles in International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organizations, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management, Annals of Tourism Research, Journal of Consumer Behavior, Journal of Management Information Systems and Current Issues in Tourism. He was recognized with the University Research Excellence Award in 2011. He teaches marketing hospitality and tourism, services marketing and e-commerce. Friends and associates established the professorship to honor Edwards and his distinguished career as a pioneer in the banking industry
Dr. Sean Humpherys, assistant professor of computer information systems, has been named the T. Boone Pickens Professor of Business. Humpherys earned his doctorate degree at the University of Arizona in 2010 and joined West Texas A&M University in 2011. His publication record includes articles in Decision Support Systems, MIS Qua
rterly, IEEE Transactions on Professional Communications and Communications of the Association for Information Systems. His applied research activities include grant research funded by the Office of Homeland Security that advances border security and safety via the integration of improved information technology and operations. His primary teaching areas are programming and management information systems. Pickens created the professorship to stimulate academic excellence, enhance creative thought and challenge business students at West Texas A&M University.
Dr. Karyn Friske, professor of accounting, has been named the Stanley Schaeffer Professor of Business Ethics. Friske earned her doctorate degree in accounting from Texas A&M University in 1994 and joined the WTAMU faculty in 1996. Her recent research includes journal publications in Practical Tax Strategies, Journal of Accountancy, Oil, Gas & Energy Quarterly and Tax Adviser. Friske teaches courses in financial accounting, accounting theory and auditing. Schaeffer, a distinguished alumnus, business leader and philanthropist, established the professorship in 2010 to stimulate academic excellence and enhance an appreciation of ethical leadership for business students at West Texas A&M University.
Dr. Neil Terry, dean of the College of Business, said, "I want to thank Mrs. Edwards, Pickens, Schaeffer and our other donors who are helping us reach our goal of establishing at least 12 endowed professorships in the College of Business. The c
reation of endowed professorships has been instrumental in our success to recruit and retain faculty members that are both excellent classroom instructors and recognized international scholars in their respective fields."
The College of Business is now home to 10 professorships. The 10 professorships are as follows:
• Gene Edwards Professorship of Banking;
• Gene Edwards Professorship of Finance;
• Dr. Phil Gensler Professorship of Computer Information Systems;
• J. Pat Hickman Professorship of Marketing;
• James and Mogie McCray Professorship of Business;
• Dr. Jerry Miller Professorship of Entrepreneurship;
• T. Boone Pickens Professorship of Business;
• T. Boone Pickens Professorship of Management;
• Stanley Schaeffer Professorship of Business Ethics; and
• Don Williams Professorship of Management.
—WTAMU—