New COB Chairs Strengthen Departments

There are exciting times at the Peay as we welcome two new department chairs to the APCOB.  With the addition of these chairs, the leadership of the College of Business is significantly strengthened.  

Dr. Susan Cockrell was recently awarded the position of chair to the Accounting, Finance, and Economics Department at the APSU College of Business. This is Dr. Cockrell’s second stint at APSU; she taught here as an associate professor from 2000 – 2005.  She most recently comes to us from the University of Birmingham-Southern College, where she taught from 2007 until 2011.  Dr. Cockrell received her Ph.D. in Accounting from The University of Alabama in 1993.  Both her Master of Administrative Science and Bachelor of Science in Business Administration were received at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (in 1985 and 1984). She became a CPA in 2001.  

Dr. Kenny Holt is our new chair of Management, Marketing, and General Business within the College of Business.  Dr. Holt has taught at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee, and has taught courses in China and France as a visiting professor.   He received his Ph.D. in Management with a concentration in Organizational Behavior and a minor in Strategic Management in 2010 from the University of Memphis.  Dr. Holt received his Master of Science in Economics in 1985 from LSU and his Bachelor of Science from Union University in 1983. Dr. Holt has a history of community involvement including a stint as city council representative in Jackson, TN.  

Please help me welcome our new chairs to Austin Peay.   Below are their email addresses.  Exciting times! 

Dr. Susan Cockrell – cockrells@apsu.edu
Dr. Kenny Holt – holtm@apsu.edu

APCOB and AACSB Accreditation: Chapter 1

In April of 2012, the APCOB faculty came together and took enormous strides to achieve accreditation through the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business, AACSB. This prestigious agency is the blue ribbon of business accreditation and its structure and processes will help us continue becoming more excellent.


The following was written by faculty and captures the collective sense of excitement:

APCOB faculty members, staff, and leadership are committed to obtaining AACSB accreditation and this dedication is reflected in the many changes that have occurred both culturally and in infrastructure within APCOB during the last several years. 

The drive for AACSB accreditation is fully supported by President Tim Hall and Provost Tristan Denley as evidenced by both public proclamations and more importantly continuing financial support.  President Hall made his support of APCOB’s accreditation effort public by making it a part of his agenda during a presidential convocation and has subsequently informed alumni, faculty members, and students of his continuing commitment to AACSB accreditation. President Hall has made numerous statements of support both financial and in spirit for the faculty’s drive to AACSB accreditation in “listening meetings” with APCOB faculty members.  He has also made AACSB accreditation of APCOB a pillar of the most recent capital campaign. 

Concrete support in the form of new positions and infrastructure improvements comes from Provost Denley. He authorized six faculty positions, including two new department chairs, and provided the funding for them during the fall semester of 2011 He supported the newly remodeled and technologically upgraded one hundred-seat auditorium. Provost Denley continues to support APCOB’s accreditation drive through his enthusiastic support for curricular improvement including the addition of business calculus to the general education core for the BBA. The Provost has also made his commitment to enhanced teaching and research from faculty members through the provision of graduate assistants and teaching assistants.  This is a first for APCOB and is seen as a strong statement of support for the faculty and the accreditation effort.  

The Tennessee Board of Regents has also demonstrated strong support for AACSB accreditation through the actions of Chancellor John Morgan who told the assembled APCOB faculty in August 2011 that the TBR and his office are committed to APCOB earning AACSB accreditation. A tsunami of optimism and excitement has swept through the college and one sees faculty, staff, and leadership pulling together to make something special happen. The byword for APCOB could very well be “ carpe diem”.  


And so we will seize the day.  

Exciting times!  Dean Rupp