News release prepared by: Katie Schurman, 785-532-2753, schurman@k-state.edu
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR EXPERT JOINS K-STATE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AS FIRST WEFALD LEADERSHIP CHAIR
MANHATTAN -- Thomas A. Wright, an international expert on organizational behavior, has been named the first President Jon Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration at Kansas State University.
The chair, established by Paul and Sandra Edgerley, merited a national search. Wright will become the director of the College of Business Administration's Center for Leadership and a professor of management, teaching organizational behavior.
In recognition of Wright's research and teaching, he recently was selected as a Fellow of the Association for Psychological Science. Fellow status is awarded to association members who have made outstanding contributions in research, teaching, service or application. Candidates are considered for the honor only after 10 to 15 years of postdoctoral contribution.
"I am so pleased that Dr. Wright will join our outstanding faculty and serve as the first person to hold the prestigious President Jon Wefald Leadership Chair in Business Administration," said Yar M. Ebadi, dean of the College of Business Administration. "I am confident Dr. Wright's reputation in leadership and management will be a tremendous asset and will greatly enhance the prominence of our programs in these areas."
Wright joins K-State from the University of Nevada, Reno, where he spent more than 15 years as a member of the business faculty. He received his doctorate from the University of California, Berkeley.
Wright serves as associate editor for two top journals in the management industry, the Journal of Management and the Journal of Organization Behavior. He also has served on numerous editorial review boards, including those of the Journal of Applied Psychology, Group and Organization Management and the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology. He has presented more than 50 academic papers and published more than 70 scholarly articles and chapters.
The Edgerleys live in Brookline, Mass. Paul Edgerley received his bachelor's degree from K-State's College of Business Administration in 1978.
"I am very grateful to Paul and Sandra Edgerley for establishing this and other distinguished chairs within the college to provide the resources necessary to bring scholars of Dr. Wright's experience and abilities to the campus," Ebadi said.