Tamra Davis is proud to see many things worth celebrating within the Illinois State University business school.
“The College of Business at ISU has been a top undergraduate business program for the past six years as determined by Bloomberg Businessweek,” stated the new associate dean for accreditation and operation. “In addition, we are one of only 187 business schools in the world to have Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International accreditation in both business and accounting.”
She also pointed to successes and high rankings in the college’s risk management and insurance, professional sales and MBA programs, as well as its pass rate for the CPA exam.
As she prepares for her new leadership role within the college, the former co-program coordinator for the business education course of study is optimistic about the future and looks forward to doing her part to continue this tradition of excellence.
Davis shared she is excited for the opportunity to work alongside her colleagues to develop and implement the college’s strategic goals.
“My vision includes increasing the overall recognition of one of the best colleges of business in the country. I want to see ISU be the first choice for business, not only among students from Illinois but also from across the country and the world,” she said.
“My vision includes increasing the overall recognition of one of the best colleges of business in the country. I want to see ISU be the first choice for business, not only among students from Illinois but also from across the country and the world,” she said.
In her new role as associate dean, she also will work to maintain the college’s Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) International accreditation, oversee building operations and technology infrastructure in the State Farm Hall of Business, maintain various budgets and monitor measures of student learning.
A native of rural Oklahoma, she earned a bachelor’s in business administration, a master’s in business education, and a Ph.D. in education from Oklahoma State University. Davis began teaching business education courses at ISU in 2011. Prior to her arrival, she taught business and computer classes at both the college and high school level.
During her time as a Redbird, Davis has taught 15 different courses, including Personal Financial Literacy for College Students, a general education course that she developed in 2013. She also worked on the development of the Master of Science in Business Education degree program.
In addition to her time in the classroom, Davis has demonstrated a commitment to service, including working as both a member and chair of the Curriculum Team and member and secretary of the Council for Teacher Education. Additionally, she served on the Council for Teacher Education Executive Board and the University Teacher Education Assessment Committee.
These roles clearly reflect her passion for training the next generation of educators.
“I was initially drawn to the university setting because I wanted to be a teacher for teachers. Teacher education has been my passion for many years,” she said.
Most of her numerous journal publications center on such topics as leadership, assessment and classroom activities.
While at ISU, Davis has earned numerous awards, including the Department of Marketing Chairperson Faculty Scholar, Manahan Family Award for Teaching Excellence in Business, National Business Education Collegiate Teacher of the Year, Business Education Research Conference Empirical Research Award, and multiple service awards.
Outside of the classroom, Davis enjoys writing, photography and traveling with her partner, Tim Connor, who has also introduced her to whitewater kayaking and hiking.
“Our goal is to travel to all 50 states and as many countries as we can while we accumulate memories, not things,” Davis said.
