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Garrett and Washam are Named Finalists for Dean of Griffin College of Business

05/26/2022

JONESBORO -- Two finalists for dean of the Neil Griffin College of Business at Arkansas State University will visit the campus over the next two weeks for search committee interviews and campus presentations, Provost Alan Utter announced today.

The chair of the search committee, Dean of Agriculture Mickey Latour, said the committee named two finalists: Dr. Jason Garrett of Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and Dr. Jim Washam, who is currently a faculty member at A-State.

Each candidate will make a public presentation open to the campus community during their visit to A-State. Both sessions will be in the Delta Center for Economic Development, Room 103.

Dr. Jim Washam is the first finalist on Thursday and Friday, June 2 and 3. There will be a meet and greet reception for campus and community members on the second floor of the Delta Center from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. on Thursday, June. 2.  Washam’s public presentation will be on Friday, June 3, starting at 10:30 a.m. in Room 103.

Currently the interim dean of the Neal Griffin College of Business, Washam joined A-State as an instructor of finance in 1989 and became an assistant professor in 1992.  Twice serving as a chair, Accounting, Finance and Law from 2000 to 2004, then Economics and Finance from 2004 to 2008, Washam has been associate dean and three times the interim dean. Promoted to associate professor of finance in 2000, Washam holds the McAdams Frierson Professorship of Bank Management. Washam’s bachelors and MBA are from A-State, earning his Ph.D. at the University of Mississippi.

Dr. Jason Garrett is the second finalist on Monday, June 6, with his presentation also at 10:30 a.m. in Room 103 of the Delta Center, followed by a meet and greet reception later Monday afternoon from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. at the Delta Center. 

Garrett is currently the dean and professor of marketing in the McAfee School of Business at Union, most recently guiding the university through a discipline-specific AASCB accreditation visit. He joined Union as its dean of business in January 2017 from Bradley University.  Garrett began his academic career at Bradley as an assistant professor in 2006 and was promoted to associate professor of marketing in 2012.  Prior to Bradley he was a research assistant and graduate instructor while completing his Ph.D. at the University of Missouri.  Garrett’s MBA is from Washington University in St. Louis and his bachelor’s is from Oklahoma Baptist University.

The current vitas of each candidate are available on the Neil Griffin College Dean search webpage, AState.edu/GriffinDeanSearch.

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Griffin College of Business