Collat School of Business News

Hansen named associate dean for research, academic and faculty affairs

John Hansen, Ph.D, has been named associate dean for research, academic and faculty affairs for the UAB Collat School of Business.

Hansen, director of the school’s Center for Sales Leadership, assumes the position effective July 1. He is a professor of marketing at Collat and internship coordinator for the marketing and economics programs. He currently chairs the school’s Core Curriculum Committee, which is revamping the school’s undergraduate business core curriculum, the courses all business majors take regardless of major.

“Dr. Hansen’s experiences with the university’s Blazer Core curriculum and with leading our effort to develop the new business core will be invaluable in this new role,” said Dean Christopher Shook. “He has done a tremendous job, and I am thrilled to continue working with him in this new role moving forward.”

As associate dean for research, academic and faculty affairs, Hansen will be responsible for accreditation, assurance of learning, promotion and tenure processes, annual evaluation processes, and undergraduate programs. He will also be responsible for implementing the school’s research incentive program and activities to encourage and administer funded research.

“This really is an exciting opportunity,” Hansen said. “The associate dean role provides a platform through which I can have a more profound effect on the student experience and the opportunities presented our students upon graduation while also ensuring the continued development of the school.”

Hansen said he initially will focus on the school’s upcoming accreditation renewal and on undergraduate curriculum development, ensuring that it aligns with the skills necessary for student success in the workplace.

“Based on employer feedback, we are altering our business core to focus on students’ communication skills, professionalism and self-leadership, proficiency as it relates to analytics and technology, and overall business acumen,” Hansen said.

Hansen also is excited to work with faculty to expand the school’s research portfolio, both their presence in prestigious academic journals and their engagement in funded research.

“There is a strong link between research effectiveness and effectiveness in the classroom,” he said. “Faculty who are actively assisting businesses as they seek to address their most pressing organizational issues are typically able to bring these experiences and this knowledge into the classroom, further enhancing the student experience.”

Hansen joined the UAB faculty in 2010. He received the President's Award for Excellence in Teaching at UAB in 2014, and the Award for Excellence in Teaching by a Doctoral Student while at the University of Alabama in 2006. Earlier this year he was awarded a CSOB Teaching Excellence Award as voted on by Collat's business students.

He is a prolific researcher, examining issues related to salesperson and frontline employee performance in the business and consumer contexts. His research has been published in Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Venturing, Journal of Business Logistics, Journal of Services Marketing, and Industrial Marketing Management. He is on the editorial review board for Journal of Services Marketing, and he has served as an ad hoc reviewer for Journal of Personal Selling and Sales Management, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Selling and Major Account Management, Industrial Marketing Management, and Psychology Marketing.

Before coming to UAB, Hansen served on the faculty at the University of Southern Mississippi and at Northern Illinois University. Hansen earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing and MBA from Troy University and his doctorate in marketing from the University of Alabama.

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