At Mays Business School our outstanding faculty are consistently recognized for their research and teaching accomplishments. This year, we welcome ten new faculty members to Mays.
Wang
Dechun Wang
Assistant Professor of Accounting
PhD: University of Missouri-Columbia
Recent affiliation: University of Nebraska-Lincoln
“Students are competent problem solvers and can be motivated to learn on their own. My role is to positively impact them by stimulating their active learning in accounting principles.”
If you pay more for an audit, does that mean it will be more accurate? According to research by Dechun Wang and colleagues, the answer is yes. They find that auditors with industry expertise at the office level charge a fee premium and do indeed provide higher audit quality. This is just one of the many research interests Wang pursues in the field of accounting. He has published and presented several works, including one paper that was honored as the “best manuscript” at the 2007 American Accounting Association international accounting mid-year conference.
When Dechun Wang was looking at prospective universities, he says that the department of accounting at Mays stood out to him for the quality of the faculty, strong research support, and “the inspiring PhD program.” He is excited to be joining this highly-ranked faculty to teach intermediate accounting II.
Wang doesn’t hold with the notion that students are empty vessels waiting to be filled. Instead, he sees learning as a much more interactive process in the classroom, where students shoulder the responsibility for their own learning. “The purpose of my teaching is to help students develop accounting knowledge, critical thinking and analytical thinking skills, and professional and ethical
reasoning,” he says.
McGuire
Sean McGuire
Assistant Professor of Accounting
PhD: University of Georgia
Recent affiliation: University of Georgia
“I enjoy connecting with students and challenging them to think deeply about the concepts we discuss in class. My goal is to help them develop problem-solving and analytical skills that will translate into their careers.”
How do market participants use tax-related information and other data firms voluntarily disclose to investors? That’s the question that keeps Sean McGuire examining the news. His experiences working with the Enron Corporation and Ernst & Young, LLP have helped mold this researcher’s thinking about corporate taxes and disclosure.
McGuire’s dissertation investigates the voluntary disclosures that firms provide for a fourth quarter decrease in their effective tax rate (ETR). His results suggest that firms strategically explain ETR decreases and use disclosure in an attempt to enhance market participants’ perception of earnings created by an ETR decrease. His current areas of study examine whether credit analysts utilize the information contained in the difference between book and taxable income to analyze a firm’s credit risk, and whether firms involved in a proxy contest change the amount and type of information they provide to investors.
It is appropriate that McGuire should return to A&M to teach introduction to tax classes, as it was during his time as an undergraduate majoring in accounting at A&M that he first discovered his talent for teaching while serving as a tutor. In 2006, McGuire was named an AAA/Deloitte/J. Michael Cook doctoral consortium fellow. The following year he was recognized with an Outstanding Teaching Assistant award from the University of Georgia.
Simpson
Nancy Simpson
Clinical Professor, Director of the Undergraduate Special Programs Office
PhD: Texas A&M University
Recent affiliation: Texas A&M University
“I love helping students learn mathematics…It means helping them see math as a way of thinking about the world, rather than as a set of rules and formulas to memorize.”
Nancy Simpson has spent more than 20 years helping students overcome their math-phobias. Starting as a graduate assistant in the mathematics department at Luther College, Nancy has cultivated her teaching talents through practical application as well as theory. She has two degrees in mathematics and a PhD in curriculum and instruction. Previously she was the director of the Center for Teaching Excellence at Texas A&M, which provides faculty with resources, workshops, and consultation for reaching students more effectively.
Her current position as the director of the Undergraduate Special Programs Office at Mays puts her at the head of several innovative programs, such as Transitions (helping students make the leap from high school to college successfully), Business Honors, Fellows, and the Center for Effective Communication. She will also be teaching two basic math classes and coordinating a student-staffed math lab for first year business students.
Simpson’s research interests focus on teaching and learning. In her new position as director, she plans to investigate the effectiveness of the experiences students have in Mays special programs. She will examine whether or not students are transferring and applying skills such as teamwork and communication from their program experiences to their upper level coursework.
Flint
G. David Flint
Clinical Associate Professor of Management
PhD: Texas A&M University
Recent affiliation: Utah Valley State College
“Students need to be challenged to perform beyond their past levels, encouraged to be inquisitive and probing, provided lots of attention when they have questions, and given the opportunity to step out and think about applying knowledge instead of just absorbing data.”
When it comes to business, David Flint has been active both in the marketplace and the classroom. “I like to do it, teach it, and learn it,” he says. He was an entrepreneur before he became interested in deeper studies of the field of management. He has maintained that dual interest, as throughout his academic career he has been involved in management positions in start-up companies ranging from software development to real estate investment. He also has been involved in the creation of two non-profit organizations and currently serves as a board member for both.
His marketplace experience has led him to interesting topics of research in the areas of international business and politics, social responsibility, and business strategy as influenced by CEOs and governments. He has numerous publications, proceedings, and conference presentations to his record, and has served as a reviewer for several research publications.
Flint ties in all of his various experiences as a businessman, scholar, and researcher in his role as professor. “My basic mindset in the classroom is to think about what I have experienced as the “best’ learning environments and then borrow from those experiences to create what I hope is an effective learning experience for my students,” he said.
Parish
Janet Turner Parish
Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing
PhD: University of Alabama
Recent affiliation: Texas State University
“I see myself as a facilitator. My job is to encourage students to build knowledge by sharing what they already know and by applying specific classroom learning to real projects.”
Janet Parish says she is “thrilled to be rejoining the family” at Mays Business School. She taught here from 2002-2007 before leaving for a one-year term at Texas State University. Parish says she didn’t always know she was destined for the classroom; She “accidentally discovered” that she wanted to be an educator after working as a training coordinator for a bank, where she taught employees about customer service and marketing.
Parish teaches principals of marketing, a subject she is very familiar with, as she has taught it at four universities over the last 13 years. “I am excited about this opportunity to give so many of our undergraduate business students a glimpse of what marketing is all about,” she says.
Parish’s own research focuses on the role of employees in service encounters. Some specific examples she gives are how patient-physician relationships impact desirable patient outcomes (e.g., healthy eating behavior) and how aspects of the physical workspace influence employee outcomes, such as productivity and turnover. She has published work and has work in progress on both of these topics.
Parish earned her PhD in 2002, and since that time has published seven articles in well-respected journals, such as the MIT Sloan Management Review. She also has one article forthcoming. She has presented her research in numerous settings, most often at conferences hosted by the American Marketing Association.
Ramkumar
Rishika Ramkumar
Clinical Assistant Professor of Marketing
PhD: University of California, Irvine
Recent affiliation: University of California, Irvine
“It is the great Aggie spirit that drew me to A&M. Mays Business School offers a wonderful research environment with world-class faculty to share ideas with and resources that help in conducting good research.”
What factors influence the size of quantity discounts? Does more competition increase or decrease those discounts? How do those discounts affect the consumer welfare? Rishika Ramkumar’s research interest in the practice of offering quantity discounts on large size packages asks just these questions, and a host of others. She notes that most products are offered in multiple sizes with large size products often carrying substantial unit price discounts. This common pricing strategy can have an impact on the firm that produces the product, competitors in the market, and the consumers that use the product.
Ramkumar says she’s always been interested in analyzing the economy. That interest paired with her desire to do meaningful research to improve standards of living led her to a career in academia. She holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in economics as well as a PhD in marketing. As an instructor, Ramkumar wants to impart more than just knowledge. She also motivates her students to practice analytical and team working skills, as both of these are necessary components of a career in the business world. She will teach marketing management and product development courses at Mays.
Ramkumar has an impressive resume, listing several fellowships as well as grant funds she used to evaluate the impact of cigarette advertising on consumer behavior while she studied at the University of California.
Galpin
Wendy Galpin
Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance
PhD: Indiana University, Bloomington
Recent affiliation: American University
“I strive to make students understand why they are learning the materials in the course, in addition to teaching them what they should be learning. I want the students to see the “big picture’ as clearly as possible.”
How do protection of property rights and access to capital interact to affect economic growth across national boundaries? Research by Wendy Galpin and colleagues suggests that better access to capital does not always promote growth: In countries with weak property rights, lower financing barriers actually reduce growth. This implies that a country’s first step in promoting economic growth is improving its institutions, then buttressing these improvements with increased access to financing.
Galpin says her interest in international issues of finance was piqued in high school and was refined through undergraduate work at a university in her native country, China, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in that discipline. She then achieved an MBA and PhD in finance in the U.S. Before coming to A&M, Galpin spent five years teaching at American University in the Department of International Business.
Galpin says she loves literature and music and enjoys calligraphy, but chose to pursue a career in academia as it combines her passion with practicality. “I try to get my students to think about future career plans and some of the best students to think about graduate school work,” she says. “It’s emotionally rewarding to hear from former students who claim that they have been inspired by you, who have followed your advice and found it helpful.”
McBryde
Carol A. McBryde
Clinical Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Special Programs Office
PhD: Oklahoma State University
Recent affiliation: Texas A&M University
“My job as a teacher is to prompt students to think. Teaching is not about the specific content; it is about asking students to use their critical minds to examine what they are reading, hearing, and saying.”
Carol McBryde is fascinated by the dual processes of leadership and learning. How do students’ perceptions of leaders influence their learning experience? How does intuition impact the process of leadership? How do students learn to themselves be leaders? These are the questions McBryde’s research examines.
McBryde will have a firsthand look at her research interests in the classroom as she begins this fall to work with the Mays Transitions Program. She will work with students to build up their core competencies, such as communication, teamwork, and ethics.
McBryde has had a variety of work experiences in higher education, including residence life and student affairs. Most recently, she served as the coordinator of the Leadership and Service Center at Texas A&M, where she developed a program to promote leadership education and community engagement for students.
McBryde’s PhD is in agricultural education, with an emphasis on leadership education. Her dissertation focused on Red Cross workers’ perceptions of leaders in disaster. She has presented a number of workshops on the topics of personal strengths, leadership styles, and developing leadership skills.
Tomaszewski
Lesley Tomaszewski
Clinical Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Special Programs Office
PhD: Texas A&M University
Recent affiliation: Texas A&M University
“I apply a lot of adult education theories to my classroom so it’s much more learner-focused than lecture-focused. My students work in teams while I take the roles of facilitator, supervisor, and coach.”
Lesley Tomaszewski comes to business education from a uniquely varied background. Her initial interest in anthropology and archeology took an unlikely turn as she shifted her focus to adult education in graduate school at A&M. After earning a masters and a PhD in educational human resource development, she worked as an assistant research scientist in the Texas Center for the Advancement of Literacy and Learning. While in that position, she began teaching as a visiting lecturer at Mays Business School working with the Transitions program.
Tomaszewski’s previous work experience includes other research positions, such as involvement with a study for the Health Science Center at A&M regarding patient-doctor interaction, and two years as a study abroad program liaison. She has been published several times in journals of adult education issues, such as Studies in Continuing Education and Adult Basic Education and Literacy. She has also presented at numerous conferences, often on topics related to adult education in Texas.
Tomaszewski is a member of the American Educational Research Association, the Texas Association for Literacy and Adult Education, the Commission on Adult Basic Education, and the Academy of Human Resource Development. At Mays she will be teaching a sophomore level course in integrated work-life competencies, focusing on teamwork and creative problem solving.
Visser
Roemer Visser
Clinical Assistant Professor, Undergraduate Special Programs Office
PhD: Texas A&M University
Recent affiliation: Texas A&M University
“I want to take away obstacles to my students’ professional and academic success. I want to stimulate them to bring out what is they already have and know deep inside.”
Roemer Visser’s background is in human resource management and adult education, specialties he has been able to draw from as a lecturer and now a clinical assistant professor in the Mays Transitions program. Visser holds a master’s degree in industrial and organizational psychology with an emphasis in personnel selection from Vrije University in his home country of the Netherlands. He recently completed his doctoral degree in educational human resource development and adult education at Texas A&M.
Visser’s research and teaching are complementary. His research interest is teamwork and issues relating to it, such as effective communication with in a team, how to improve team decision-making and problem solving. Visser teaches two classes in the Transitions program that touch on these same topics, focusing on practical work-related skills.
Visser has co-edited a volume on the aging workforce, as well as co-authored two chapters for that publication. He has presented at conferences on a variety of topics from prejudices in the interview process, to World War II, to community-based learning. In addition to business courses, Visser also teaches karate at A&M and has guest lectured on issues of culture, aging, diversity, conflict resolution, and leadership in a number of classes and other settings.
Categories: Faculty, Featured Stories