WKU News

Dr. Christopher Shook has been named the new dean of WKU’s Gordon Ford College of Business, Provost Terry Ballman announced Monday.

Dr. Shook, who has served as the Sprunk & Burnham Endowed Dean at the University of Montana College of Business since 2016, will assume his duties at WKU on July 1.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Hilltopper Nation,” Dr. Shook said. “As a first-generation college graduate, I was drawn to the mission set forth by President Caboni and the strategic plan ‘Climbing to Greater Heights.’ The strength of the foundations of WKU and the Gordon Ford College of Business, the support of the local business community, as well as the unlimited number of opportunities to innovate business education, were all aspects of my initial attraction to the opportunity.”

Dr. Shook is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holds a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Louisiana State University. His scholarship focuses on exploration and exploitation of entrepreneurial opportunities; strategic decision-making processes; the reciprocal relationship of performance and strategy; and methodological issues in strategy and entrepreneurship research.

“Dr. Chris Shook is an excellent choice for the Gordon Ford College of Business Deanship,” Dr. Ballman said. “His strategy-driven student and community-focused leadership experience has well-prepared him to assume this significant role.

“Chris is excited about joining WKU and understands that every decision we make as an institution must first and foremost be in service of our students. As Dean of the University of Montana’s College of Business, Chris gained personal insight into the student experience as part of their ‘Dean for a Day’ competition. Annually, one student gained leadership experience by serving as dean for one day, while Chris attended their classes and other student-related activities.”

Dr. Shook received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from the University of Northern Colorado, his CPA certificate from the Colorado State Board of Accountancy and his MBA from the University of Mississippi.

Dr. Shook was a faculty member in Auburn University’s Department of Management from 2003 to 2016 and  served as chair from 2011 to 2016. As an associate professor at Auburn, he was a Fulbright Scholar to the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest, Romania, in spring 2006. Previously, he was a faculty member in the University of Texas at Arlington’s Department of Management from 1998 to 2003 and in Northern Illinois University’s Department of Management from 1996 to 1998.

 “When I visited WKU, I was struck by not only the beauty of campus, but also by the strength and passion for students and discovery on the part of the faculty and staff in the Gordon Ford College of Business,” Dr. Shook said. “I look forward to joining Provost Ballman and the entire Academic Affairs team and getting to work making a difference in the lives of students in the region and beyond.”

Dr. Jeff Katz served as dean of Gordon Ford College of Business from June 27, 2011, to June 30, 2018, when he returned to the Management Department as a professor of management and the Oppitz Endowed Professor of Business.

Contact: Bob Skipper, (270) 745-4295