Walton College Announces New Positions and Appointments

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Moez Limayem, right, associate dean for research and graduate programs, and Javier Reyes, associate dean for undergraduate programs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas has announced the appointment of Moez Limayem to the position of associate dean for research and graduate programs and research and Javier Reyes as associate dean for undergraduate programs.

In addition, the college has appointed Alan Ellstrand as chair of the management department; David Douglas as interim chair of the information systems department; and William P. Curington and Joseph A. Ziegler as co-directors of its new office of global engagement.

“We are very pleased to make these appointments with such outstanding faculty. The Walton College has realigned its leadership to help it move toward its strategic priorities.” said Dean Dan Worrell. “Those priorities include expanding its global reach, strengthening its research impact, extending its retail leadership and increasing student success.”

Limayem is responsible for leading a high level of research productivity within the college and continuing its strong graduate program. He oversees the Graduate School of Business and its master’s and doctoral-level programs; nine research and outreach centers; the office of global engagement; AACSB International (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation; and facilitation of research resources, including the Behavioral Research Lab. Limayem was previously chair of the information systems department. Limayem holds the Edwin and Karlee Bradberry Chair. In 2007, he joined the Walton College from Lausanne University in Switzerland where he was professor and director of the graduate programs in the information systems department, HEC Lausanne. He holds an M.B.A. and Ph.D. in management information systems from the University of Minnesota and a B.S. in computer science applied to management from the Business School, University of Tunis, Tunisia. His research interests include information technology adoption and usage, customer relationship management, knowledge management and electronic commerce. He serves on the editorial boards of several top IT journals such as MIS Quarterly and has published numerous articles in these publications. He has received various research and teaching awards.

Reyes is responsible for leading the high quality academic and experiential learning programs that the Walton College provides its undergraduate students. He oversees the undergraduate programs office, where students are advised; the undergraduate business core curriculum; the Technology Center; the Center for Teaching Effectiveness and Faculty Development; Instructional Design; and the Career Center. He has directed the Walton College honors program for the past year and will also continue to manage that area. Reyes is an associate professor of economics and holds a Ph.D. in economics from Texas A&M University and a B.A. in economics with a finance minor from Instituto Tecnologico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey. He joined the Walton College in 2003. He has taught graduate and undergraduate courses in international economics (trade and finance), macroeconomics, monetary theory and policy, econometrics and current economic issues. His research interests include monetary theory and policy issues in emerging economies; open economy macroeconomics; exchange rate regimes, capital flows and remittances; and complex network theories and their applications to international economic integration, international trade and economic development, international finance, contagion and crises. He has worked as a consultant for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and serves as an invited academic scholar for the International Monetary Fund.

After seven years as director of the M.B.A. programs in the Graduate School of Business, Alan Ellstrand takes the reins of the management department from Anne O’Leary-Kelly, who held the position for five years. He was promoted to professor and been appointed to the Charles C. Fichtner Chair. As director of the M.B.A. programs, he increased enrollment and helped redesign the full-time and managerial programs to respond to the needs of managers in the consumer package goods and retailing industries while leveraging the Walton College expertise in marketing, logistics, and information systems. For the first time, both M.B.A. programs were listed among the top 50 programs in the annual U.S. News & World Report “Best Graduate School 2011” rankings. Ellstrand holds a B.S. in political science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, an M.B.A. from Northern Illinois University in strategic management, and a Ph.D. from Indiana University in strategic management and organizational theory. His primary research interests are focused on corporate governance and top management teams. His research has appeared in the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science, Journal of Management and Journal of International Management as well as other peer-reviewed journals. Prior to entering the doctoral program, he held various positions with the Internal Revenue Service in Chicago, Ill.

University Professor David Douglas is serving as interim chair of the information systems department and was previously chair from 1985 to 1998. He holds a B.S.I.E. in operations management, an M.S.I.E. in computer analysis, and a Ph.D. in computer modeling from the University of Arkansas.

His research interests include pedagogy for distance education, e-commerce, and the area of database management systems/data warehousing/data mining. He served as president of the Decision Sciences Institute-Southwest Region for 1996-1997 and was the associate program chair for the Decision Sciences Institute for the 1999 national meeting. He was also secretary/treasurer for the Southwest Federation of Administration Disciplines. He has served on many key committees at the University of Arkansas, including service with the Graduate Council and the Faculty Senate.

With the strategic priority of increasing its global footprint, the college has also established the office of global engagement and appointed Curington and Ziegler as co-directors to build its current programs and develop new funding and initiatives. Since 2000, the Walton College has established a degree in International Business; expanded its Study Abroad options and scholarships for graduate and undergraduate students; formed academic and exchange partnerships with global universities, and co-sponsored the Arkansas World Trade Center.

For the last 15 years, Curington has served as senior associate dean for Academic Programs and Research where he coordinated undergraduate, graduate, and international programs. He was key player in the development of the innovative interdisciplinary Business Core Curriculum. He joined the college in 1980 as a faculty member in economics. Curington holds a B.S.Ed. from the University of Texas, a M.L.I.R. from Michigan State University, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from Syracuse University. He focused his teaching and research in labor economics and has developed a national reputation for his research on the economics of occupational illness and injury. Among the journals publishing his research are The Journal of Human Resources, The Southern Economic Journal, and Industrial and Labor Relations Review.

Ziegler served as chair of the economics department for 22 years and was director of International Programs where he was responsible for the growth of the college’s Study Abroad program and scholarships as well as the recent increase in partnerships with international universities. He holds a B.A. from St. Mary’s College in economics and a Ph.D. from the University of Notre Dame in economics. Ziegler joined the Walton College in 1973 and taught microeconomic theory and multinational enterprises. His research covered regional economics and water resources. His research has been sponsored by grants from the U.S. Department of the Interior and U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. He has published in Journal of Regional Science, Journal of Urban Economics, Economic Inquiry, Land Economics, National Tax Journal, Social Science Quarterly, Water Resources Research, and other professional journals. He has published several monographs. Ziegler served on the Governor's Council of Economic Advisors.