A-State Associate Professor Wins Entrepreneur Educator Award
JONESBORO — Dr. Erick Chang, associate professor of management in Arkansas State University’s College of Business, is the third annual winner of the prestigious C. Sam Walls Entrepreneur Educator award, presented by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation as part of the Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan competition.
Chang, who was nominated by Dean of the College of Business Dr. Shane Hunt to the Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF), received the award during last week’s Governor’s Cup Awards luncheon at the Wally Allen Ballroom in Little Rock’s Statehouse Convention Center. He received an award of $2,500 in addition to another $2,500 that is given to the university for furthering entrepreneurial education.
“I am honored to have received this award because it highlights all the positive work we do in the university to promote entrepreneurship,” stated Chang. “Also, it has always been my desire to use the monetary awards I receive from the Governor’s Cup to sponsor our activities here at A-State, and I hope we can have more people and companies sponsoring our competitions as we are opening the doors now to other universities and colleges in the area to send students to compete with our students.”
Chang donated his winnings to the Arkansas State Foundation’s entrepreneurship account to help fund the fall 2016 business plan competition. He hopes the funds will help bring a preliminary stage for the Governor’s Cup to the A-State campus in 2017.
“I want to congratulate Dr. Chang on winning this prestigious award,” said Dr. Shane Hunt, dean of the College of Business. “Erick is incredibly deserving of this wonderful recognition and we are all thankful for his leadership of our entrepreneurship program here in the A-State College of Business.”
The Walls award honors retired Arkansas Capital CEO Sam Walls, Jr., for his advocacy of entrepreneurial education in the state of Arkansas while also serving as chief executive officer of the company from 1989 until his retirement in 2013.
Also the chair of the Delta Center for Entrepreneurship and Family Business, Chang organizes the annual business plan competition and is the academic adviser for A-State’s teams who compete in the Governor’s Cup. He is also the faculty in residence for the Honors Learning and Living Community.
His research has been published in top-tier academic journals such as Journal of Business Venturing, Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, Journal of Business Research, Family Business Review, Journal of Family Business Strategy, Journal of Development Entrepreneurship, Journal of Small Business Strategy and Journal of Family Business Management.
He serves on the editorial boards of Family Business Review, Journal of Family Business Strategy and Journal of Business Disciplines.
