HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. (April 16, 2014) — Dr. Rebecca I. Porterfield has been named dean of the NKU Haile/US Bank College of Business. Dr. Porterfield currently serves as graduate associate dean of the University of North Carolina Wilmington Cameron School of Business. She will begin at NKU on July 1.
“We look forward to having Rebecca lead our college of business,” said Sue Ott Rowlands, NKU provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. “She brings expertise and leadership that will help us to build upon the strengths of our excellent academic programs and to achieve our vision of transdisciplinary education at every level and across the university.”
As dean of business, Porterfield will report to Ott Rowlands and lead a college of four departments – accounting, finance and business law; construction management; management; and marketing, economics, and sports business. The college enrolls 1,900 undergraduate majors and 214 graduate students taught by 70 full-time and part-time faculty members. The college is AACSB accredited and offers 10 bachelor’s degrees, including unique programs in entrepreneurship, sports business, and construction management. Master’s degrees are offered in business administration, accountancy, and executive leadership and organizational change.
“This is an exciting time to be joining the Haile/US Bank College of Business,” Porterfield said. “Under the leadership of President (Geoffrey) Mearns and Provost Ott Rowlands, NKU is poised to sustain the momentum it has gained over the past decade. The college of business is an integral part of the Greater Cincinnati business community, and I look forward to building on existing relationships and establishing new ones.”
President Geoffrey Mearns said Porterfield brings experience at virtually every level of a college of business.
“She started as an assistant professor at UNC Wilmington and methodically moved up in its Cameron School of Business, learning to manage a large academic organization at every level,” he said. “We are pleased to welcome her – the future of the Haile/US Bank College of Business has never been brighter.”
Porterfield has served as graduate associate dean of the UNC Wilmington Cameron School of Business since January. In her current role, she oversees the school’s graduate programs, international programs, outreach centers, and marketing and communications. She previously served in a number of roles within the school, including undergraduate associate dean, director of international programs and director of assessment, associate vice chancellor of academic affairs, associate dean, department chair, MBA director, associate professor and assistant professor.
During her tenure at UNC Wilmington, she has co-founded the first dual undergraduate degree program in the nation; initiated and founded a mentoring program with former Fortune 100 executives; created a concierge service for the school’s top 25 employers; developed and expanded online programs for departments across the university; and restructured the MBA program, resulting in a dramatic increase in completion rates. She was an honorary fellow at the University of Applied Sciences in Bremen, Germany, in 2006, and was named UNCW Global Citizen of the Year in 2008.
Her teaching areas include both graduate and undergraduate classes in international management, global strategy, and strategic management. She has directed more than 150 professional MBA graduate team practica. In 2004, she was the inaugural recipient of the UNCW Alumni Outstanding Faculty Member award. Porterfield previously served as assistant professor at Hofstra University and Mississippi State University.
Porterfield earned a B.S. in Management and an MBA in Management from Mississippi State University, a Ph.D. in Industrial Management from Clemson University, and a Management and Leadership in Education (MLE) certificate from Harvard University.
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