Dr. Morris Kalliny becomes interim dean

A big part of the Rohrer College of Business (RCB) since 2018, first as associate dean and professor of marketing and then as senior associate dean, Dr. Morris Kalliny since July has held a new position: interim dean.

Deeply involved with operations since he joined RCB, Kalliny has handled a range of functions, from curriculum and reaccreditation to hiring nearly 40 percent of the current faculty and staff.

“For the last eight years, I have been preparing for this position,” he said.

As interim dean, he’s focused on College expansion and reputation building.

“We plan on building new programs, hiring more great faculty and expanding our entrepreneurial experience on campus,” Kalliny said. “We hope to unfold our new strategic plan this fall and finalize plans for a new College direction by December.”

Other goals include establishing an advisory council for the graduate studies programs and strengthening centers within the RCB.

Kalliny began his academic administrative career at the University of Missouri-Rolla, now the Missouri University of Science and Technology, where he began serving as business programs director in 2007. At Eastern Washington University, he served as associate dean and interim chair of the finance and marketing department.

Kalliny earned his Bachelor of Arts in business administration and secondary education from Middle East College (now University), graduating cum laude, before pursuing his Master of Business Administration degree from Northwest Nazarene University. His doctoral studies included course work in the Doctor of Education Program at Boise State University and a Ph.D. in international business and marketing from the University of Texas-Pan American (now Rio Grande).

Throughout Kalliny’s academic career, he’s contributed to research in cross-cultural marketing, media and the Arab region. Kalliny has more than 80 research publications, including articles in the Journal of Advertising Research; Journal of Consumer Affairs; Journal of Current Issues and Research in Advertising; and International Journal of Consumer Studies.

In Kalliny’s first weeks as RCB interim dean, he’s prioritized building relationships across colleges and schools, meeting individually with most of Rowan’s deans. These collaborations are key to building new interdisciplinary programs, including initiatives that combine MBA coursework with Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degrees.

“Something we pride ourselves on is how we have been able to work across the campus to benefit the entire university, in particular through our Rowan Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship,” Kalliny said. “I'm honored to be in this position and look forward to expanding collaborations and building new programs.”