Dr. B. Eddy Patuwo is a professor of operations management and operations research in the Department of Management and Information Systems in the Graduate School of Management. Patuwo has taught undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D.-level courses at Kent State since 1988. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics from the University of Regina in Saskatchewan in 1979 and 1981 and completed his Ph.D. in industrial engineering and operations research at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 1989. Patuwo teaches difficult material, but students praise him for engaging and motivating them. “Being an expert in a field and being able to successfully teach the subject is something that only the finest educators are able to accomplish. Eddy certainly has mastered this art,” wrote Claudia Phipps, academic adviser for the College of Business Administration and former student.

Michael Hu, Ph.D., received a B.A. in business administration from Ohio University in 1970. He earned an M.B.A. (1972) and a Ph.D. (1977) from the University of Minnesota. Hu joined the Kent State faculty in 1981. He has co-authored two books, published 100 papers in refereed journals and made more than 100 paper presentations at national and international conferences. His research focuses on three areas: international business, marketing research and artificial neural networks. He is best known for his work on frequent flyer programs and on Sino-foreign joint ventures. He is primarily responsible for teaching marketing management and marketing research at the MBA level. Hu has an international reputation as an expert on Sino-foreign business ventures and investment. His research has contributed substantially to an understanding of consumer responses to surveys. Hu’s paper “Forecasting With Neural Networks: The State of the Art” was named an outstanding paper in 1998-99 by the International Institute of Forecasters.

Harold R. Williams (Emeritus), Professor of Economics and International Business, received his M.A. in Economics from Penn State University, Ph.D. in Economics from Nebraska and did post-doctorate work at Harvard University. He teaches, conducts research, and consults in international trade, international finance, international business, and government policy. Dr. Williams has written and co-authored over 60 articles and books and given over 125 professional speeches throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia. His publications, interviews, and lectures have covered such topics as U.S. trade policy with Japan, China, and the four tigers; inflation and unemployment; foreign exchange rates; the European Community; NAFTA; international investment; Reaganomics; the international competition position of the U.S.; and GATT. Dr. Williams has received the EMBA Most -Valued-Professor award. He was appointed by Ohio Governor Richard F. Celeste to serve on the Ohio Trade Council, and is on the Experts List of the United Nations.

In 1948 Paul Pfeiffer became a full-time faculty member in the College of Business Administration at Kent. Paul left behind a successful business career to share his experiences and insights with others. For thirty-one years Paul taught, advised, mentored, and influenced. You would be hard-pressed to find a student who attended the College of Business Administration between 1948 and 1979 who was not influenced by Professor Pfeiffer. Paul´s caring style, coupled with his philosophy of stressing real world experiences in the classroom, made him a mainstay in the college for over three decades. To stress the importance of bringing real world knowledge to the classroom and to reward faculty who enhance class lectures with relevant workplace experiences, Professor Pfeiffer introduced the Paul L. Pfeiffer Professional and Creative Teaching Award in 1995.