MSB Emeritus Faculty | University of Baltimore

Our Distinguished Professors

Some of our most distingished professors hold emeritus status at The University of Baltimore. This title is reserved for our most esteemed faculty members and it often aligns with their retirement from full-time status at UBalt. This title is bestowed by the University to provide special recognition to faculty members who have served in the most distinguished of ways.

Zolton Acs, Ph.D.

Zoltan Acs, Professor Emeritus of Economics (2006). He held the Doris and McCurdy Distinguished Professor prior to his departure. He served as a Co-Founder and Co-Editor in Chief since the inception of Small Business Economics. He considers himself researcher, scholar, writer and teacher, creating new knowledge for the knowledge intensive entrepreneurial led global economy. Learn more from this article "The Legacy of Zoltan Acs."
Veena Adlakha, Ph.D.

Veena Adlakha, Professor Emerita of Management (2021) Professor Adlakha began teaching at the University of Baltimore in 1984. Her research has been published in journals such as OMEGA: The International Journal of Management Science, OPSEARCH: Journal of the Operational Research Society of India and IJMEST: International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology as well as many others. She is a Fulbright Scholar as well as a member of the Decision Sciences Institute of America and Production and Operations Management Society.
Hossein Arsham, Ph.D.

Hossein Arsham, Professor Emeritus in Decision Science (2013). Professor Hossein Arsham joined University of Baltimore in 1983 and has demonstrated his major contribution through his research and effective teaching abilities both in the classroom and online. He held multiple professorships at the University including The Harry Y. Wright Chair for Distinguished Research, USM Regents' Faculty award for Excellence in Research, and The CSX Chair. Dr. Arsham is also well-known for his teaching ability and students appreciate his insight of making difficult concepts understandable. He was considered a pioneer in online teaching.
Alberto Bento, Ph.D.

Al Bento, Professor Emeritus in Management Information Systems (2013). Al Bento was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Information Technology Management, a publication of the Association of Management. He was on the faculty of Boston University, Bentley University, California State University and the founder and Chair of the Special Interest Group in Information Security (SIGSEC) of the Association of Information Systems, the premier MIS international academic society. Prior to his academic career, he worked for nine years at IBM World Trade as Systems Engineer, Budget Manager and Education and Scientific Affairs Manager. His professional and research focused on information technology infrastructure (operating systems, networking, Internet, Web, cloud and mobile computing and technical aspects of security) and management of information and control systems (planning and control systems, budgeting, individual and organizational performance management).
Regina Bento, Ph.D.

Regina Bento, Professor Emerita in Management (2024).

orn and raised in Brazil, Regina Bento started her career as a psychiatrist (M.D., Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, 1977), studying the relationship between work and mental health. She was interested in learning more about the nature of work and organizations so she went on to pursue graduate studies in administration. After earning a M.S. in Management (COPPEAD, UFRJ, 1979), she came to the United States for doctoral studies at Harvard and MIT (Ph.D. Sloan School of Management, MIT, 1990). She joined the faculty of the Merrick School of Business in 1991.

She held the BG&E Chair and Professor of Management in the Merrick School of Business for several years. Bento was twice a Visiting Professor at the Sloan School, MIT (1998, 2007) and served three years as Associate Director of the Christensen Center at the Harvard Business School (2006 through 2009).

She taught courses in Leadership, Organizational Behavior and her research interests included Careers, Performance Appraisal and Rewards, Stigma, Leadership, Management Education.
Barry Brownstein, Ph.D.

Barry Brownstein, Professor Emeritus of Economics (2015). Barry Brownstein's teaching and research interests cut across economics and leadership. He is known for his quality innovative teaching and has received numerous teaching awards. He is passionate about guiding students towards the most fulfilling form of learning there is personal discovery and insight. The common thread in his work is looking at barriers internal and external to healthy economies and effective leadership. Brownstein believes we often externalize our organizational and economic problems. We look for external solutions when the solution is becoming more aware of our dysfunctional beliefs. He also has a blog " Mindshift ." When he is not in front of a computer, you may find Dr. Brownstein on a hiking trail.
Richard Cuba, Ph.D.

Professor Emeritus
Michael Davis, Ph.D.

Michael Davis, Professor Emeritus of Accounting (1999) LinkedIn
David Dianich, Ph.D.

David Dianich Professor Emeritus (1996)
Milton Jenkins, Ph.D.

Milton Jenkins Professor Emeritus of Management Information Systems (2005)
Arthur B. Kahn, Ph.D.

Arthur Kahn is an Associate Professor Emeritus
Michael Laric, Ph.D.

Michael Laric, Professor Emeritus of Marketing (2017). Dr. Michael V. Laric has 40 years of experience as a consultant, trainer an academic administrator, educator, and author specializing in new products development, entrepreneurship, and marketing management and strategy. He holds a New Product Development Professional Certificate from the Product Development and Management Association where he is a charter member. As consultant, trainer and entrepreneur he consulted with business, public, and nonprofit organizations. Professor Laric once served as the Associate Dean of the Merrick School, and as Division Director of the Management and Marketing Division and Chair of Marketing department. He directed the Center for Technology Commercialization which worked with inventors, incubators, Federal R&D laboratories (NASA, NIH, DOD, USDA) and numerous small and medium size companies in order to help bring new technologies to market. Dr. Laric holds a B.A. and M.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His Ph.D. in Marketing is from the City University of New York. Dr. Laric has published over fifteen books dealing with building computer models for marketing analysis. Dr. Laric passed away in 2021.
Vince Luchsinger, Ph.D.

Vince Luchsinger, Professor Emeritus of Management (2013). Professor Luchsinger received his Ph.D. from Texas Tech and and began teaching at UBalt in 1981. He is a retired U.S. Air Force reserves Major General where he worked as a research scientist. He also served as an ASAF pilot. His research interests range from sustainability, strategy, competitive intelligence and topics in international business.
Tigi Mersha, Ph.D.

Tigi Mersha, Professor Emeritus of Management (2021). Tigineh Mersha was a Professor of Management and once held the Chair of the Department of Management and International Business. He received his Ph.D. degrees from the University of Cincinnati. His teaching interests are in the areas of Operations Management, Service Management, and Quality and Productivity Management. His research interests included service sector management, quality and productivity improvement, and entrepreneurship and management issues in emerging nations. Dr. Mersha has published in several academic and professional journals. He also is a Fulbright Scholar and conducted his research in 2010 on social enterprise and service quality in Ethiopia.
Joel Morse, Ph.D.

Joel Morse, Professor Emeritus of Finance (2022) is a financial economist. He has taught corporation finance, portfolio management, management science, international business, international economics, derivative instruments and international finance, primarily at the graduate level. He has served as associate dean for research and outreach of the Merrick School of Business; chairperson of the Department of Economics, Finance and Management Science, and chairperson of the Finance Area. He is a tenured full professor in the Department of Finance and Economics. Prior to his time at UBalt, he was a member of the faculty at Loyola College in Maryland, the University of Delaware, and Harvard University Summer School. Dr. Morse has served as a consultant to firms that encompass several industries. Much of his work focuses on financial firms, banks, insurance companies and real estate firms. He has also worked with financial organizations on mergers and acquisitions, on the valuation of privately held companies, and as an expert witness in numerous legal and stock exchange proceedings. He has counseled private investors and stockbrokers as the principal of an SEC-registered investment advisor. He has lectured to a delegation from the Zhejiang Financial College (China). Joel Morse has edited a book on mathematical decision making techniques, published numerous academic and practice-oriented papers, served as associate editor of Large Scale Systems and Derivative Highlights, and is presently a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Legal Economics. He has conducted research studies on options and futures markets, equity swaps, intraweek seasonalities, corporate financial management, domestic and foreign capital markets, country risk analysis, transportation offsets in life care plans and inverse floating rate notes. His current research is on volatility options, goodwill impairment and business valuation.
Marilyn Oblak, D.B.A.

Marilyn Oblak is an Associate Professor Emeritus and former associate dean. Prior to becoming assocaite dean she was the Department Chair for Decision Science. Dr. Oblak has served the University in several capacities including as Director of the Helen P. Denit Honors Program.
William O'Brien, Ph.D.

William O'Brien, Professor Emeritus
Christine Nielsen, DBA

Christine Nielsen, Professor Emerita of International Business (2014). Christine Nielsen was a professor of international business and strategy and academic program director of the M.S. in Global Leadership. She was a recipient of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents' Faculty Award for Teaching, and the University of Baltimore President's award for outstanding work in the areas of teaching, research, and community service. She was the 2007 Fulbright-SyCip Distinguished Lecturer in the Philippines, the first woman to receive this Award. Professor Nielsen is a recipient of a Governor's Citation from the State of Maryland for "outstanding service as Director of International Programs and for contributions to further the economic development agenda of Maryland's businesses. She was featured in the Washington Business Journal as the mastermind behind the Merrick School's unique approach to international business education, and in the Baltimore Business Journal as one of the area's top 25 most influential business educators for her leadership of international business education and for "revolutionizing" the way that international business is taught at UBalt. Over the years Dr. Nielsen served as the director of numerous international business programs for managers, including nine years as Academic Director of the International Management and Compliance Training Program for Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems. Between 1999 and 2001 she served as the Academic Director of the UBalt MBA Program in Argentina, hosted at the Universidad Nacional de Lomas de Zamora in the outskirts of Buenos Aires. She currently service as the Chair of the Board of Directors and President of NEW Pathways , a nonprofit that is enabling Filipino women and their families through innovative livelihoods.
W. Alan Randolph, Ph.D.

Alan Randolph, Professor Emeritus of International Business (2015). W. Alan Randolph was professor of international business and leadership. His graduate courses develop real-world expertise using international projects and focused study tours to a variety of developed and developing countries. His research focuses on cultures of empowerment and global leadership and is closely linked to his consulting work in organizations around the globe. His books are still popular with managers around the world include: "GO TEAM! Take Your Team to the Next Level" and "Empowerment Takes More Than A Minute."
Arthur Roberts, Ph.D.

Arthur Roberts Professor Emeritus
Bansi Sawhney, Ph.D.

Bansi Sawhney, Professor Emeritus of Economics (2020). Dr. Sawhney primarily taught economics. His articles have appeared in professional refereed journals such as Economic Quarterly, Applied Financial Economics, Journal of Economic Research, KYKLOS, and Quarterly Review of Economic & Finance. His research interests included topics such as, Stock Market and the Macroeconomy, Military Spending and its Economic Impact, Business Investment and the Stock Market, International Trade, Income Inequality and Monetary Policy. He served on the editorial board of several economic journals and edits the Indian Journal of Economics and Business. He once held the Harry Y. Wright Distinguished Chair in Economics.
Darlene Brannigan Smith, Ph.D.

Darlene Brannigan Smith, Professor Emeritus (2023) is a dedicated professional with a commitment to, and vision for, achieving educational excellence. She served as the University of Baltimore's Executive Vice President and Provost (2016-2020) and from was the 11th dean of the Merrick School of Business. Smith also has the distinct honor of being the first University of Baltimore alumna to lead the School of Business. Smith is a respected scholar, publishing in leading academic journals in marketing, including the Journal of Consumer Research and the Journal of Public Policy and Marketing. She has been a visiting professor at ESSEC University in France, Peking University in China, and the Universidad Alberto Hurtado in Chile. She has also completed the Management Development Program at the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education. In addition to her academic work, Smith has consulted for such corporations as AEGON, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maryland, McCormick Food, Sheridan Press and Bartlett de Mexico, a firm in the nuclear power generation industry in Mexico.
Ronald Stiff, Ph.D.

Ronald Stiff, Professor Emeritus (2003)
Rao Vemuganti, Ph.D.

Rao Vemuganti, Ph.D. Professor Emeritus (2009)
Susan Rawson Zacur, D.B.A.

Susan Rawson Zacur, Professor Emerita of Management (2016). Dr. Susan Rawson Zacur was a Professor Management. She was an enthusiastic teacher, respected consultant, individual leadership coach, and author. Dr. Zacur has served as Interim Provost of the University (2008-09), Dean of the Merrick School of Business (2006-08), Chair of the Management and Marketing Department (2004-06) and Chair of the Management Department (1993-97). She was Coordinator and then Director of the highly successful Women's Program in Management from l977 to l981 and Program Advisor for the M.S. in Personnel and Industrial Relations from l980 to l986. She founded a chapter of Sigma Iota Epsilon, the Management honor Society, at UBalt in 1984. Dr. Zacur was particularly interested in leadership, ethics, and how people get along in the world of work. She worked with the team that developed the first Code of Ethics for the Academy of Management and she was a Senior Fellow with the Hoffberger Center for Professional Ethics. Among her professional honors, she received the Professional Contributions Award from the Maryland Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development and the Spirit of Excellence Award from the University of Baltimore Alumni. Dr. Zacur has taught twenty-one different courses for the University at the graduate and undergraduate levels. She has twice been awarded the Dean James Chair of Distinguished Teaching.