Stacy L. Jackson Appointed the Kenneth J. Weller Professor of Management

Dr. Stacy L. Jackson has been appointed the Kenneth J. Weller Professor of Management.

The Ken Weller Endowed Professorship honors distinguished teaching in management. It was established through a lead gift by Jim Jurries, who is a former student, and Virginia Jurries of Holland to recognize Weller for his impact at Hope as faculty mentor. Weller, who is a 1948 Hope graduate, was a member of the Hope economics and business administration faculty from 1949 to 1969. He subsequently served as president of Central College in Pella, Iowa, from 1969 until retiring in 1990.

"An endowed professorship represents an advanced stamp of approval on professors who have proven their worth to the academy," said Dr. James E. Bultman, president of Hope College. "A major initiative at Hope has been to secure more endowed professorships that will reward, recognize and retain some of our most distinguished professors."

Bultman noted that the college is grateful to those who, as through the Weller professorship, help provide an exceptional education for students by supporting talented and dedicated faculty. "It's a very visionary act and generous act for a couple or person to establish an endowed professorship that will ensure long-term quality teaching, scholarship and attentiveness to the mission of the institution," he said.

Weller has received a variety of awards in recognition of his career, including decoration by the Queen of the Netherlands as a knight in the Order of Orange Nassau and recognition in 1988 as one of the top 100 college presidents in the nation. From Hope, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award in 1971 and an honorary degree in 1983, and the "Hope for Humanity" Award from the college's alumni H-Club in 2008. He and his wife, Shirely, established the college's "Vanderbush-Weller Development Fund" award, first presented in 2000, in honor of longtime Hope professor and football coach Alvin Vanderbush, who retired in 1972 and died on Feb. 20, 2005.

Jackson has been a member of the Hope faculty since 2007. His teaching responsibilities include the courses "Perspectives on Management" and "Management Seminar." His research focuses on strategy, structure, leadership and executive team development primarily within firms that aspire to integrate specific value priorities in competitive markets. He also focuses on the role of power and politics in the effectiveness of leaders in creating organizational change.

He began his career at NASA in Houston, Texas, as an internal organization development consultant. His subsequent consulting experience includes serving as a senior manager for Ernst & Young Management Consulting and as a practice leader for Hewitt Associates. His academic roles have included serving as assistant dean and professor of organizational behavior at Washington University in St. Louis' Olin School of Business and as professor of management at Calvin College in Grand Rapids. In addition to teaching at Hope, he is currently a visiting professor of management and organizations at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business.

Jackson has received numerous teaching awards as well as recognition in "Business Week's" review of outstanding faculty in top-25 business programs. His views have been citied in media sources such as "Business Week," "MBA Jungle" and "The Wall Street Journal." He published a variety of articles in professional journals and various book chapters, and is completing his first book.

He is active in consulting and executive education in North America, Europe and Asia regarding topics of strategy, structure, leadership, executive team development and organizational effectiveness. He works regularly with public, private and non-profit firms who manage the difficulties of focusing on strategic growth while maintaining values they consider sacrosanct. He is a frequent speaker in leadership development programs, annual officers' meetings and academic conferences. His clients have included organizations such as AB InBev, Bunge, Emerson, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Herman Miller, Occidental, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, TimeWarner & WellPoint.

Jackson graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a B.A. in 1989. He completed his M.A. and Ph.D. at RiceUniversity in 1993 and 1998 respectively.

The new professorship reflects the college's emphasis on adding more of the professorships to recognize outstanding faculty members, along with providing them with funding for summer research projects as well as some salary support. The college now has a total of 20 endowed chairs for faculty and three endowed administrative positions, and is seeking to establish more.

Endowed chairs are established by donors who wish to assist the college on a permanent basis through the support of a faculty member. The gift is placed in the college's endowment fund with investment income used to support the work of the honored professor.

Learn more about establishing an endowed professorship