Ken Eastman named Dean of Oklahoma State University's Spears School of Business

Monday, May 5, 2014

Oklahoma State University has named Dr. Ken Eastman as Dean of the Spears School of Business following a national search. Eastman has been serving as interim dean since July of last year. The appointment is pending approval by the OSU/A&M Board of Regents at it next regularly scheduled meeting in June.

“We are pleased to appoint Dr. Eastman as Dean and appreciate the fine job he has done as interim,” said OSU President Burns Hargis. “Ken is an expert in leadership, performance management and organizational politics and we believe he will guide our award-winning business school to new levels of success.” 

Eastman said, “I am honored to lead one of the finest business schools in the country during an exciting time of growth in enrollment, programs, impact and facilities. I look forward to working with our outstanding faculty and staff, bright students, alumni and donors as the Spears School begins its second century.” The Spears School is celebrating its 100th year in 2014. 

This appointment carries with it the rank of Professor in the Department of Management. The position of Dean also carries with it an appointment to the Norman and Suzanne Myers Endowed Chair for Excellence in Business Administration and to the Richard W. Poole Professorship for Excellence.  

Eastman has been at the business school since 1989, serving as an assistant professor (1989-1995), associate professor (1995-present), director of the MBA program (1999-2003), acting department head (2002-2003), and as the head of the Department of Management (2003-present). He has been a member of the Academy of Management since 1985.

Eastman was recognized with the Richard W. Poole Faculty Outreach Excellence Award by the Spears School in 2009 and received the School of International Studies Faculty Excellence Award in 2011.

Eastman is a sought after speaker who has presented more than 200 seminars on leadership and performance management. He has published articles in such journals as the Academy of Management Review, Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Social Psychology, Journal of Management Information Systems, and Journal of Business Ethics.

He received an associate’s degree in 1980 from Iowa Central Community College, a bachelor’s degree in management from Iowa State University in 1982, his master’s degree in management from Iowa State in 1985, and his Ph.D. in organizational behavior from the University of Nebraska in 1990.