EMU Today

YPSILANTI – Kenneth Lord has been appointed dean of Eastern Michigan University College of Business. The University made the announcement on Friday, April 27, 2018.

Lord joins Eastern Michigan University from Cal State Northridge, where he served as dean of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics from 2013 to 2017 and most recently as accreditation advisor and professor of marketing.

“Dr. Lord has an outstanding background in academic business leadership,” said Rhonda Longworth, Eastern Michigan Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs. “His leadership in strengthening and developing relationships with external constituencies and in accreditation make him an ideal individual to lead our College of Business.”

An expert in the field of marketing with 30 years of experience, Lord also served as associate dean of in the Kania School of Management at the University of Scranton (Pa.) from 2006-2013. He was a professor of marketing at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. from 1998 to 2006.

Lord received his bachelor’s in English and master’s in communication from the University of Utah and his doctorate in marketing from The Ohio State University.

Lord will take over from Anne Balazs, who was appointed interim dean in 2017. Balazs will return to her previous position as interim assist vice president of graduate studies at Eastern.

“I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Dr. Balazs for her commitment and support of the College of Business over the past year,” said Longworth. “She stepped in at a critical time and remains an important part of our academic leadership team going forward.”

Former EMU College of Business Dean Michael Tidwell was named President of the University of Texas at Tyler in fall 2016. 

Eastern Michigan conducted a nationwide search for a permanent replacement. The search committee was chaired by Kathleen Stacey, interim dean, College of Arts and Sciences. Other members included: Susan Moeller, professor of accounting and finance; Hung-Lian Tang, professor, computer information systems; Judy Foster, professor, marketing; Richaurd Camp, professor, management; Denise Tanguay, professor, management; Bill Shepard, vice president for advancement; Michelle Henry, director of graduate business programs; and, Lewis Hershey, department head, marketing.

Lord will assume the dean post on July 1, 2018. His salary will be $218,000.

About the EMU College of Business

The Eastern Michigan University College of Business offers graduate programs that are appropriate to students at every stage of their career, and classes may be taken full-time or part-time, and in some cases online or through a hybrid of online and in-class coursework.

The College of Business has more than 2,200 undergraduate students pursuing one of 12 majors and more than 640 graduate students pursuing either an MBA, Masters of Information Systems, Masters of Integrated Marketing Communications, Masters of Human Resources and Organizational Development, Masters of Accounting, Masters of Taxation or a graduate certificate.

To learn more about the College of Business, please visit the COB website.

About Eastern Michigan University

Founded in 1849, Eastern is the second oldest university in Michigan. It currently serves 20,000 students pursuing undergraduate, graduate, specialist, doctoral and certificate degrees in the arts, sciences and professions. In all, more than 300 majors, minors and concentrations are delivered through the University's Colleges of Arts and Sciences; Business; Education; Health and Human Services; Technology, and its graduate school. EMU is regularly recognized by national publications for its excellence, diversity, and commitment to applied education. For more information about Eastern Michigan University, visit the University's website.