New dean addresses challenges and opportunities

by Mohammed Khayum

Article taken from College of Business Reports, Winter 2006

Dr. Mohammed Khayum, a University of Southern Indiana faculty member since 1991 and a leading researcher on Evansville area economic issues, has been named to lead the College of Business as dean. His appointment was effective January 3, 2006.

The announcement was made in December by Dr. Linda L. M. Bennett, USI provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. She said, “Dr. Khayum has already established himself as an innovative leader in the College of Business. I am looking forward to working with him as he continues his good work with the college and the surrounding community.

“We were fortunate to have strong candidates for the position. Dr. Khayum has worked his way through the faculty and administrative ranks and is well respected by faculty, staff, administrators, and students.”

Khayum guided the college as acting dean after Dr. R. Eugene Klippel stepped down from the deanship in August.

Khayum said his years as a faculty member have given him a good feel for the aspirations of USI students majoring in business and the kinds of programs and activities to which they respond. He has a strong relationship with the community. He has conducted a number of economic impact studies since coming to the Evansville area. One of the first was a 1997 study of the impact of Evansville ARC on the Vanderburgh County economy. In 2004, he and a faculty collaborator from the University of Evansville completed an economic impact study for Toyota Motor Manufacturing Indiana.

Khayum said the college will concentrate on maintaining the high standards and the posture of continuous improvement that led to the attainment of accreditation by AACSB—The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

His plans for the college include the exploration of distinct niche opportunities in teaching and service. He said the USI College of Business is among good company as one of 430 institutions in the United States accredited by AACSB.

The USI College of Business enrolls more than 1,700 undergraduate students in its bachelor’s degree programs and more than 130 graduate students. The college has 46 full-time faculty members.

Like the USI College of Business, 50 percent of the AACSB-accredited business colleges have about 50 faculty members, 37 percent have about 1,900 students, and 60 percent have an operating budget of about $5 million.

"We should be proud of being in good company,” he said.

On the other hand, Khayum wants the USI College of Business to establish a more distinct identify for itself.

'Then we will not be just one of the pack. We will be something special,” he said.

He praised the college’s preparation of qualified graduates for the workforce of the Tri-State region. The college has a proven record of working with companies in the area to determine their workforce needs and then providing top-quality educational programs that meet those needs.

In addition to branding the college more effectively, Khayum wants the college to develop an entrepreneurial perspective, to continue to be active in community development, to assist in the transfer of technology to new applications, to develop innovative practices, and to develop multidisciplinary synergies across campus. Among his immediate plans is continued progress on the Joe Coslett Family Sales Management Development Laboratory. He wants to use local business executives as panelists and judges in the lab, which will be a beneficial resource for business students.

Joining USI in 1991 as assistant professor in the Department of Economics and Finance, Khayum was promoted to associate professor in 1995. He was named professor of economics in 2001, serving as chair of the Department of Economics and Finance from that time until his appointment as associate dean and director of the MBA program in 2004.

Khayum prepares the Business Conditions and Outlook Survey, a quarterly survey of businesses in the Evansville area, and the Evansville Factbook, a compendium of demographic, economic, and social information about Southwestern Indiana. In addition to the economic impact studies, he has contributed his expertise to a number of area needs assessment projects and other activities in the field of economics.

Khayum earned an undergraduate degree in economics from University of Guyana. He completed master’s and doctoral degrees, also in economics, at Temple University. His research focuses on input-output analysis, service sector growth, economic development, exchange rate determination, consumption behavior, and the New Economy. Articles by Khayum have appeared in a number of professional publications, including the Journal of College Reading and Learning, Applied  Economics, Global Business and Finance Review, Service Industries Journal, and International Economic Journal. He has made presentations at conferences in Chicago; New Orleans; Washington, D.C.; and Philadelphia. He is the author of two books on economic issues in developing countries.

Dr. Nadine A. Coudret, dean of the USI College of Nursing and Health Professions, chaired the search committee. Members—all from the College of Business faculty—included Dr. Peter S. Cashel-Cordo, Dr. Kevin G. Celuch, Dr. Sang T. Choe, Dr. Brian L. McGuire, Dr. Greg B. Murphy, Dr. Les E. Nunn, Dr. Joy V. Peluchette, Dr. Jong C. Rhim, and Dr. Jennifer J. Williams. Also serving on the committee was Jim McKinney, president/CEO of Regency Commercial Associates LLC in Evansville and a member of the College of Business Board of Advisors and the USI Foundation Board of Directors. Kimberly F. Greenlee, USI assistant director of human resources, was an ex-officio member.