BOONE—Walker College of Business faculty Pete Groothuis, William M. Baker, Chris McNeil, Pia Albinsson, Dana Clark, Dave McEvoy and Joseph Cazier have been awarded professorships at Appalachian State University.

Each professorship recognizes a faculty member who has demonstrated outstanding performance in instruction, scholarship and service. Many of the professorships are named in honor of significant benefactors to the college.

The recipients receive a salary stipend of $5,000 per year, to further advance their work and retain the professorship for two years. The appointments were effective July 1.

Dr. Pete Groothuis

Groothuis has been awarded the Beroth Oil/Four Brothers Food Stores Professorship.

A professor in the Department of Economics, Groothuis has taught at Appalachian since 2002. His professional interests include sports economics, labor economics, environmental economics and applied economics. He has authored a number of articles focused on sports and labor economics as well as environmental and resource economics. Groothuis earned both a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Kentucky.

The Beroth Oil/Four Brothers Food Stores Professorship was established in 1999 by Winston-Salem-based Beroth Oil and Four Brothers Food Stores.

Dr. William M. Baker

Baker has been awarded the Honorable Harlan E. Boyles Professorship.

During his tenure as professor in Appalachian’s Department of Accounting, Baker was the recipient of the college’s Sywassink Excellence in Teaching Award in 2002. He is a member of the Institute of Management Accountants and has taught the Certified Management Accountant and Certified Financial Manager review courses for the Hickory Chapter. With research interest in managerial accounting and accounting systems, Baker’s work has been published in Strategic Finance. Baker holds a M.Acc. degree from the University of Tennessee where he also earned his bachelor’s degree. He received his Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

An endowment to fund the Honorable Harlan E. Boyles Professorship was established in 1991 to honor the late N.C. Treasurer Harlan Boyles, who was a member of the state government for more than 49 years. The endowment is funded by contributions from Boyles’ family, friends and colleagues.

Dr. Chris McNeil

McNeil has been reappointed the L.M. Baker Jr. Partners in Excellence Professorship.

McNeil, an associate professor in the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance, has professional interests that include corporate finance, financial markets and excel pedagogy (including advanced grading systems). His research has been published in a number of scholarly journals including the Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of Corporate Finance and Journal of Financial Education. McNeil joined Appalachian’s faculty in the Department of Finance, Banking and Insurance in 2004 and previously taught at Penn State Erie and the University of Miami. McNeil received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Wake Forest University and his Ph.D. in international finance from the University of South Carolina.

The Baker professorship is named for retired Wachovia CEO L.M. “Bud” Baker Jr.

Dr. Pia Albinsson

Albinsson, an associate professor in the Department of Marketing, has been awarded the John W. Guffey Jr. Professorship.

Albinsson’s teaching interests include collaborative consumption, consumer activism, corporate social responsibility and advertising effectiveness. Recently, Albinsson received the 2016 China Studies Institute Zhi-Xing China Academic Leaders Fellowship. Before coming to teach at Appalachian in 2007, she worked in the tourism industry in Greece as well as banking and finance in her native Stockholm, Sweden. Albinsson received her MBA and Ph.D. from New Mexico State University.

The Guffey professorship is named for John W. Guffey Jr., retired chairman and CEO of Coltec Industries Inc., which merged with BF Goodrich in 1999. It was established in 2000 and was funded by John and Monique Guffey.

Dr. Dana Clark

Clark, a professor in the Department of Management, has been awarded the Duane D. Daggett Professorship in Management.

In addition to teaching, Clark serves as the director of hospitality and tourism management program. His research focuses on destination management, strategic planning and organizational marketing. Clark has taught at Appalachian for 25 years and, in 2013, earned the college’s Sywassink Excellence in Service Award. Clark is the only individual to win all three top tourism honors in North Carolina: the Barentine Special Achievement Award from the Destination Marketing Association of North Carolina, the Charles J. Parker Tourism Excellence for Public Service Award presented by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association, and the Tourism Excellence Award for an Individual, also presented by the North Carolina Travel Industry Association. Clark received his master’s degree in business administration from the University of Georgia and his Ph.D. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

The professorship is named for Duane Daggett, who served as an executive in residence in the Walker College of Business from 1986 until 2000. The Daggett professorship was established by M. Lee Barnes Jr. and his wife, Christy L. Barnes.

Dr. Dave McEvoy and Dr. Joseph Cazier

Both McEvoy and Cazier have been reappointed to Dean’s Club Professorships for a second term.

McEvoy is an associate professor for the Department of Economics. His research interests include environmental economics, experimental economics and international environmental governance. He has served as referee for many professional journals in the economic fields. McEvoy joined the faculty at Appalachian as an assistant professor in 2007 and became an associate professor in 2013. His research has been published in leading environmental economics journals and he is co-editor of a recent volume on the economics of climate negotiations. He is the recipient of the 2010 Sywassink Excellence in Teaching award. McEvoy received his M.S. from University College London and Ph.D. from University of Massachusetts, both in environmental economics.

Cazier is a professor for the Department of Computer Information Systems and Supply Chain Management. His research interests include using data analytics to make a positive difference in the world, in areas such as energy, sustainable agricultural and educational attainment. He has amassed a body of work including more than 100 intellectual contributions and over $1.2 million in grant funding to pursue his research. Previously, Cazier served as associate dean of graduate programs for the Walker College of Business and transformed the MBA program by increasing enrollment by more than 500 percent and adding strategic tracks including sustainable business, analytics, international business and others. Prior to joining Appalachian, Cazier was an instructor at Arizona State University and Stevens-Henager College, and a researcher in the biotechnology field. Cazier also has a background in entrepreneurship, having been a substantial participant in the founding of five organizations. He now serves as the director of the Center for Analytics Research and Education at Appalachian and is a UNC General Administration Fellow in Technology Commercialization. He holds a Ph.D. in information systems from Arizona State University.

The Walker College of Business Dean’s Club is an annual giving society designed to benefit faculty and students while enhancing the college’s academic programs.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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