Posted on August 12, 2014 by Lety Laurel
Two new department chairs have been named in the UTSA College of Business. Melody Lo, associate professor of economics, will lead the Department of Economics. Suman Basuroy, professor of marketing, will lead the Department of Marketing.
Melody Lo Headshot
A leading economics scholar, Lo joined the college’s faculty in 2006. Teaching courses in financial economics and macroeconomics, she received her Ph.D. in economics from Purdue University. Her research interests are in the areas of financial economics and economic voting behavior.
“I’m eager to take on this challenge,” said Lo, who hadn’t planned on being an administrator. “The field of economics has evolved over time, and it is time for our department to embrace change as well.”
Lo’s top priority for the coming year is to restructure the current master’s program in economics by adding two new tracks to the current general economics track. Another priority will be to find effective ways to recruit for undergraduate economics majors.
“The proposed changes to our master’s degree will give more structure to the program,” said Lo. “The two new tracks will be in financial economics and business data analysis. These tracks are designed to prepare students for positions in industry. The current track will continue to be offered for students who are interested in pursuing a Ph.D.”
Suman Basuroy
Basuroy comes to UTSA from the University of Oklahoma where he previously was the Ruby K. Powell Professor and associate professor of marketing and supply chain management.
His research interests include the role of critics in motion pictures, managing product line sequels, bundling in video game marketing and studying how advertising impacts editorial content in the fashion industry.
“I look forward to shaping the future of the department,” said Basuroy, who received his Ph.D. from the Katz Graduate School of Business at the University of Pittsburgh. “And, I welcome the opportunity to collaborate with the college’s great consumer behavior scholars.”
Basuroy is eager to speak with employers and find out what skills they need from our graduate and undergraduate students. In addition, he would like to review the academic offerings and possibly create some specialty areas based on the external feedback.
“Marketing is external facing,” he said. “I want our department to work with the community on real-life projects.”
Wendy Frost—
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Lety Laurel
