Hess appointed associate dean of CB Graduate Programs

Information Systems Assistant Professor Traci Hess has been appointed associate dean of Graduate Programs in the College of Business, Dean Eric Spangenberg announced last week.

“I am delighted that Dr. Hess has agreed to lead the College’s graduate education programs,” says Dean Spangenberg. “She is an acclaimed teacher and a highly respected member of our faculty, and she brings valuable experience and perspective to the role.”

Spangenberg adds, “As one of only 132 business schools worldwide to offer accredited programs at the bachelor, master, and doctoral levels, we are proud of our excellent graduate programs. Dr Hess’s leadership will be integral to our continued success in this area.”

Hess received her doctorate and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and joined the College of Business in 2002. In 2006, she received tenure and was promoted to associate professor. Prior to her career in academia, she served as senior vice president at the Bank of Hampton Roads and Valley Bank.

“I am honored and excited to contribute to the development and advancement of our successful graduate programs as a member of the college’s leadership team,” says Hess. “The College of Business has many talented faculty and staff that are dedicated to graduate education, and I look forward to working with them as we continue to further our graduate programs.”

Hess has been honored with numerous College of Business awards, winning a Teaching Innovation grant in 2003, MIS Professor of the Year honors in 2004 and 2005, and the Furman Faculty Fellowship and Dean’s Excellence Fellowship in 2005. Prior to joining the College of Business, Hess taught at the College of William and Mary and the University of Central Florida, where she was awarded the Galloway Faculty Performance Award for Undergraduate Teaching and a Faculty Excellence Award in 2000.

Her research centers on human-computer interaction in a decision-making context, decision support technologies, and user acceptance and evaluation of information systems, and has appeared in outlets including Journal of Management Information Systems, Decision Sciences, and Decision Support Systems. Hess currently serves as chair-elect for the Association for Information Systems’ Special Interest Group on Human-Computer Interaction (AIS SIGHCI). Her activities with this research group include Conference Planning Chair for SIGHCI’s annual workshop and HCI Track Co-Chair for the 2006 Americas Conference on Information Systems.

After leading the College of Business Graduate Programs for two years, during which he spearheaded a major redesign of the MBA curriculum, Dr. Chuck Munson is returning to teaching full-time in the Department of Management and Operations.