UA Business School Inducts Three to Faculty Hall of Fame

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Three retired faculty members were recently inducted into the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration Faculty Hall of Fame at The University of Alabama.

The three new members are Drs. Jay U. Sterling, professor of marketing; Walter Misiolek, professor of economics and former senior associate dean; and F. Hutton Barron, professor of management science.

“These three inductees into the faculty hall of fame are excellent examples of the type faculty we have at the Culverhouse College of Commerce,” said Dr. J. Michael Hardin, dean. “Each has an excellent record as a scholar, as a researcher and as a dedicated public servant. I congratulate them on their selection.”

To be eligible for the hall of fame, the person must have served at least 10 years as a member of the Culverhouse College of Commerce faculty, been on retired status for at least three years before being elected, and served the college in such a way as to better the faculty, staff and students. The college Faculty Hall of Fame Committee maintains a list of eligible retirees and seeks nominations each year from that list

Sterling received his bachelor’s degree from DePauw University and a doctorate from Michigan State University. He is a Certified Public Accountant and served on the board of directors of Mark VII Inc., one of the nation’s largest third-party logistics service companies, until its sale to EXEL in 1999.

Sterling taught logistics, supply chain management, financial dimensions of marketing and marketing management courses for 20 years at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Sterling was responsible for developing the overall marketing plan and framework for the University’s “Tide Pride” football priority seating program, plus its “Skybox” and “Zone” Club Level programs.

Misiolek earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Miami University in Ohio in 1968. From 1968-1971, he was employed by the Copperweld Steel Co. in his hometown of Warren, Ohio, where he served as a quality control chemist and as claims metallurgist.

He completed his master’s degree in economics from Miami University in 1972 and his doctorate in economics from Cornell University in 1976. At UA, he served as graduate studies coordinator for economics and finance and as area coordinator for economics. As senior associate dean, Misiolek was responsible for academic programs, financial affairs, day-to-day operation of the college, faculty development programs and strategic planning.

Barron earned his bachelor’s degree from Davidson College, his Master of Science in mathematics from Brown and his doctorate from Pennsylvania in 1970. He served as head of the department of management science and statistics from 1983 until 1998.

Before arriving at The University of Alabama, Barron taught management science and statistics at the University of Kansas business school. He is well known for his work in the field of decision analysis and has had articles published in a number of research and scientific journals such as Decision Sciences, Operations Research and Management Science.