Augusta University has announced Mark A. Thompson, PhD, as dean of the James M. Hull College of Business. Thompson will begin his new role on Nov. 10 after serving as interim dean since March.

“I am honored to have been selected to lead Hull College of Business into a new future as the next dean,” said Thompson. “This is an exciting time for Hull College and Augusta University, and I look forward to working with campus leadership, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and our local business leaders to continue elevating the college’s impact and influence and to implement innovative ways of providing academic programs that truly stand out for attracting business students to AU.”

Thompson’s appointment follows an extensive national search conducted by a search committee chaired by Judi Wilson, EdD, dean of the College of Education and Human Development, with assistance from Augusta University’s executive search team and in partnership with Storbeck Search.

“Hull College of Business is a nationally respected business college, earning recognition from numerous organizations as having one of the nation’s best on-campus MBA programs, and has been ranked No. 1 in the nation for most affordable online MBA by College Consensus for two straight years,” said Augusta University President Brooks A. Keel, PhD. “We are extremely proud of the reputation Hull College of Business has earned, and Dr. Thompson has had a hand in making that happen. As we work to continue to meet our aspirational imperatives, including 16,000 students by 2030, it will be important for Hull College of Business to continue elevating its national recognition by offering innovative programs that students want to study and that benefit employers.”

“It was clear following his finalist forum that there was overwhelming support for Dr. Thompson to become the next dean of our Hull College of Business,” said Neil J. MacKinnon, PhD, executive vice president for academic affairs and provost of Augusta University. “Having worked with Dr. Thompson as he has served in the interim dean role since March, I know he will provide a trusted and steady hand leading the college, while also focusing on enrollment and scholarship growth.”

A faculty member since 2013, Thompson served as associate dean and the Grover C. Maxwell Chair of Business Administration and professor of economics.

Among the highlights of his tenure since joining Hull, Thompson has overseen and maintained the college’s internal operations and developed a summer grant program to provide salary support for research and innovative teaching projects. He also has exemplified servant leadership by being one of the first AU faculty to teach a dual enrollment course in a local high school this semester.

Thompson has also served on the faculty in the Department of Physiological and Technological Nursing in the College of Nursing, as well as in the Division of Health Economics and Policy and the Department of Population Health Sciences in Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia.

He earned both his PhD in Economics and his BBA in Business Economics from Texas Tech University, where he served on faculty from 2009 to 2013.