Eli Jones To Lead Walton College

Eli Jones, new dean of the University of Arkansas’ Sam M. Walton College of Business, is a rare example of a bridge between the world of business and the world of academia.

Prior to receiving his doctorate in 1997, Jones worked at the corporate level for Quaker Oats Co., Nabisco and Frito Lay Inc.

His decision to return to higher education was a “major milestone,” Jones said.

It happened when he was a key account executive for Quaker Oats.

“It took a lot of creativity to get promotions through,” he said. “Quaker recognized some of my efforts and asked me to move through the company, taking on more and more responsibility. It turns out I found myself in a position where I was teaching more. I was actually taking other account executives and sharing some of the things I experienced in the field. That led me to think about teaching as a profession.”

One night, Jones told his wife he was quitting his job and returning to school for four more years.

“I’m proud of the fact that we had the stamina to go back through that,” he said. “It took a lot for a corporate executive to go back and become a student again. I’m proud I was able to do it and support my family in the process.”

Jones started his academic career as an assistant professor at the University of Houston. Along the way, he has published several books and almost 50 academic articles and scientific papers, and taught around the world at undergraduate, master’s and Ph.D. levels.

In UA’s search for a new dean, Jones was the only finalist who was already a sitting dean, at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Jones began his tenure as dean July 1.

“I want to continue the path of excellence that the college has been on,” he said. “I want to see us continue to get the business community behind some of the financial needs of the colleges and universities. We’re looking for some of the best and brightest students.”

Jones hopes to grow enrollment and take more students abroad, giving them “global experience” to add to their resumes.

As dean, Jones is essentially the CEO of the school of business. “I’m working with faculty and staff, setting the direction for the college, working out where we’d like to go and what our priorities are,” he said.

For example, Jones said, when recruiting new faculty he’ll be valuing applicants who can bridge industry and academia like himself. “We need hybrid people that have experience and are also published in academia,” he said. “There are not many of us out there.”

Jones said the Walton College has “all of the components to move forward in terms of academic programs. We have well-renowned researchers and fabulous teachers.”

Higher education, Jones said, is critical to entrepreneurs who need a wide variety of skills.

“Most people want to differentiate their skills,” he said. “Having an undergraduate degree is important, but if you really want to differentiate, you go back to graduate school and pursue an MBA. MBA programs, in my opinion, have become commodities.”

Overall, Jones believes in the value of higher education in the modern, globalized world.

“I think in today’s economy, people need more education,” he said. “It’s a way we can grow our own skills so we can really compete in a highly competitive economy that’s also global.”