The University of Oklahoma announced that Wayne Thomas will serve as the interim dean in the Michael F. Price College of Business. A national recruitment search will commence with a transparent and open process, including a committee submitted and approved by the OU Board of Regents.
“We are grateful Dr. Thomas is taking on this important role in the university and in the college,” said OU President James L. Gallogly. “His recognized teaching and research excellence in accounting and strong desire to serve students will be assets during this time of transition.”
Thomas is a George Lynn Cross Professor of Finance in the John T. Steed School of Accounting. He teaches financial accounting, including introductory, intermediate and advanced accounting, and international analysis along with seminars on financial accounting.
“During his service as director of the Steed School of Accounting at Price College, Wayne has advanced the momentum of its academic programs, research output, and top-notch faculty recruiting,” said Kyle Harper, vice president and provost. “Of particular note is the Steed School’s top position in the Big 12 in terms of CPA passage rate and a recent Top 10 national ranking of the online master’s in accounting program.”
His research looks at market-based accounting, analysts’ forecasts, earnings management and more.
Thomas joined the university in 2000 as an assistant professor, after having received his doctorate in accounting from Oklahoma State University and serving as an instructor at both Oklahoma State University and University of Utah.
He has received the School of Accounting Outstanding Teaching Award seven times, along with numerous other outstanding faculty awards. Thomas has served on several committees, including tenure and promotion, recruitment, faculty standards and Committee A.
A member of the American Accounting Association, he has served in both the international section and the financial accounting and reporting section.
Thomas will begin as interim dean on May 13.
The Michael F. Price College of Business, originally established in 1928, ensures the enduring global competitiveness of Oklahoma and the nation. As OU’s second-largest college, the Price College of Business educates more than 4,500 students through undergraduate, master’s, executive and doctoral programs across six academic divisions in Accounting, Entrepreneurship and Economic Development, Finance, Management and International Business, Management Information Systems, and Marketing and Supply Chain Management.
Created by the Oklahoma Territorial Legislature in 1890, the University of Oklahoma is a doctoral degree-granting research university serving the educational, cultural, economic and health-care needs of the state, region and nation. The Norman campus serves as home to all of the university’s academic programs except health-related fields. The OU Health Sciences Center, which is located in Oklahoma City, is one of only four comprehensive academic health centers in the nation with seven professional colleges. Both the Norman and Health Sciences Center campuses offer programs at the Schusterman Center, the site of OU-Tulsa. OU enrolls almost 32,000 students, has more than 2,800 full-time faculty members, and has 21 colleges offering 172 majors at the baccalaureate level, 156 majors at the master’s level, 81 doctoral-level majors and 54 graduate certificates. The university’s annual operating budget is $2.05 billion. The University of Oklahoma is an equal opportunity institution. www.ou.edu/eoo
