OXFORD, Miss. – The School of Business Administration at
the University of Mississippi has announced new titles and
additional responsibilities for two faculty members as part
of the school’s plan to continue its record of excellence
in education.
Charles H. Noble, associate professor and Morris Lewis
Lecturer in Marketing, has been given the additional title
of director of MBA programs, and Bonnie Van Ness, associate
professor of finance, retains her faculty title and is the
new interim assistant dean for undergraduate programs.
Interim Dean Ken Cyree said he appreciates Noble’s and Van
Ness’ dedication and looks forward to working with them to
make the business school the best that it can be.
“I am very thankful for the roles assumed by Drs. Noble and
Van Ness,” Cyree said. “These are important to the future
of the school and they have stepped up to fill these needs.
It is an honor to work with such dedicated scholars and
teachers who care about the job they are doing and the
future of our institution. I am pleased that they have
chosen to help us move forward and I know they will do a
fantastic job.”
Under his new title, Noble has specific goals for enhancing
the MBA program.
“We want to continue the development of our MBA program to
expand enrollment in a measured way while emphasizing the
importance of high-quality students and academic
experiences,” he said. “In addition to enhancing our
full-time program, I would particularly like to see us
increase the flexibility of our offerings to accommodate
geographically disbursed and time-challenged adult
learners.”
In her new post, Van Ness plans to focus on teaching
effectiveness and ensuring that the school’s core
curriculum stays current and meets student needs.
“I will work diligently to make sure that our students are
receiving high-quality educations; that is, educations that
will help them be successful when they graduate,” she
said.
An Ole Miss MBA graduate herself, Van Ness said that her
plans include assessing teaching and scholarship to
continually improve the value of the Ole Miss business
degree.
“I believe my position is important because I can help the
School of Business deliver meaningful and relevant courses
to students and help promote faculty scholarship to
increase knowledge about business,” Van Ness said. “I will
assist the school in the administration of programs and
help attract and retain outstanding students and faculty.”
Noble said he will seek support from faculty, alumni and
other members of the Ole Miss community as he helps the MBA
program grow to become a leading program in the Southeast.
He also plans to explore creative partnerships with the
region’s evolving business development, such as the Toyota
and Nissan plants.
“The MBA is, in many ways, the most visible and
high-profile program offered by any business school,” Noble
said. “Therefore, we need to do whatever is necessary to
solidify this as a flagship program.”
Noble has been a member of the Ole Miss business school
faculty for seven years. Formerly director of the school’s
Ph.D. program, he conducts research on innovation and new
product development, focusing on product design. He holds a
Ph.D. in marketing from Arizona State University, MBA from
Babson College and bachelor’s of science in finance from
Boston College.
Van Ness has been an associate professor of finance for six
years. Besides leading an investments doctoral seminar, she
also teaches investments, securities analysis and the
portfolio management class for senior finance majors. She
received her MBA at Ole Miss in 1987. She completed her
undergraduate degree at the University of North Alabama and
Ph.D. at the University of Memphis. Before joining the UM
faculty, she taught at Christian Brothers University,
Marshall University and Kansas State University.
For more information about the School of Business
Administration, go to