Bordere, Carter and Others Investigate Determinants of Student Evaluations of Teaching

Clinical academic positions and other non-tenure track positions are becoming more prevalent in U.S. economics departments. In fact, research indicates that the average economics department currently employs almost the same number of tenure-track assistant professors as non-tenure track professors. The teaching focus and contingent character of clinical faculty positions are clearly stated in their job descriptions, and they are typically employed to allow traditional tenure-track faculty to concentrate more on academic research. Student evaluations of teaching are a standard component of the way colleges and universities assess the quality of an instructor’s teaching for purposes of promotion and tenure, merit raise allocations, and reappointment. This fact motivated Turner College accounting faculty Jasmine Bordere and Fonda Carter to explore how clinical faculty in economics, which are considered teaching specialists, stack up against traditional economics faculty in terms of student evaluations of teaching?

The research team, which includes Turner College economist Frank Mixon and Steven Caudill of Florida Atlantic University, examined student evaluation of teaching (SET) data for 947 economics faculty who are affiliated with 90 U.S. colleges and universities to determine whether or not a teaching quality rating premium for clinical faculty relative to traditional tenure-track faculty exists. Results using standard estimation approaches uncovered a difference, favoring clinical faculty, ranging from 3.9% to 4.8%, holding constant a number of factors. Additionally, the average treatment effect from a propensity score weighting approach suggests that the difference ranges between 5.8% and 6.1%, again favoring clinical faculty in economics. Lastly, the researchers leveraged their analysis to produce a ranking of economics departments based on quality of instruction (i.e., teaching ethos). The results indicate that 40% of the top-ranked economics departments are affiliated with private universities, and among these are institutions where research plays a major role (e.g., Northwestern University) as well as institutions where teaching is the primary focus (e.g., Seattle University). A similar mix of public universities is also found at the top of the rankings. Rutgers University-Camden, for example, represents a public university where teaching is prominent, while the University of Texas provides a good example of a public university where high-quality research is expected. Overall, the findings of the study, which appears in the current issue of Education Sciences, are encouraging signs for the hiring and retention of clinical faculty in economics departments.

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Grant Hits Ground Running as New Turner College Marketing Intern

The Turner College's new marketing intern Lizzy Grant , a senior marketing major from Newnan who previously attended Gordon State College, where she played varsity soccer, and is scheduled to graduate from the Turner College in May of 2024, has hit the ground running in her new position. She recently played a large role in the creation of a video tour of the Synovus Center, the main campus home of the Turner College. The video helps to guide new students on where to go in the building and who they can talk to if they help. The video showcases the Student Services Center, the main lobby, and more. The video is played as part of a loop on video screens placed throughout the Synovus Center. Lizzy's list of activities at CSU is impressive. She is the Treasurer of the Turner College's Marketing Club, the President of Marketing for the Turner College's chapter of the Financial Management Association, and an Ambassador for the Turner College. She is also the Treasurer of her s

Jung Exploring Influence of Confucianism on Luxury Brand Performance in China, Japan and South Korea

In a recent chat with Turner Business , Turner College professor of marketing Sungwoo Jung made the point that luxury brands are gaining the degree of influence in many developing countries that they enjoy now in developed countries. He has been pondering this issue as part of his international marketing research program, which typically focuses on advertising, pioneering advantages and multi-cultural analysis. Currently, Jung is concentrating his energies on a cross-cultural analysis of brand equity that highlights luxury brands’ performance. His research finds that China, Japan and South Korea have each seen an increase in market share for luxury brands in recent years. As Jung explained to Turner Business , “These three countries share a common philosophical background – Confucianism.” With that point in mind, Jung and his coauthors are currently engaged in an investigation of how Confucianism influences consumer behavior in these three Asian countries, and how that behavior im

Turner College Grad Publishes Academic Study on Corporate Culture and Strategy

Former Turner College student Tamara Todorova , now an associate professor of economics at American University in Bulgaria (AUB), recently published a study on corporate culture and strategy. Todorova earned an MBA from the Turner College in 1996 and then went on to earn a doctorate in international economics from the University of Economics - Varna in 2001. She has been on the faculty at AUB since August of 2000. Todorova's study, which appears in the current issue of the International Journal of Business Performance Management , investigates how corporate culture helps to economize on the transaction costs of internal organization. As she explains, the dimensions of corporate culture that assist in this task include increasing trust and reducing intrafirm opportunism. Todorova's study demonstrates that setting common goals and a common direction reduces the sizeable costs of internal organization. Tamara's prior research appears in Economics of Transition , International

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