Beck A. Taylor

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dean, Professor of Economics
(205) 726-2364
btaylor@samford.edu
Room 326 Dwight M. Beeson Hall

 

Dr. Beck A. Taylor is dean and professor of economics for the Brock School of Business at Samford University.  He joined Samford University in August 2005 after serving as associate dean for research and faculty development and the W.H. Smith Professor of Economics for the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor University in Waco, TX.

After earning his undergraduate degree from Baylor in 1992, cum laude, with majors in economics and finance, Dr. Taylor was employed as an economic and financial analyst for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) in Houston, TX.  Dr. Taylor then went on to earn the M.S. and Ph.D. in economics from Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.  Dr. Taylor received the Young Researcher Award from the Hankamer School of Business at Baylor in 2000 and was subsequently named, at the age of 30, as the first holder of the W.H. Smith Professorship in Economics, becoming one of the youngest endowed professors in Baylor’s history. 

In 2002, Dr. Taylor was named Visiting Scholar by Harvard University and spent one year in-residence at the prestigious Harvard Graduate School of Education pursuing research and teaching interests.   In 2005, he was named a Baylor University Outstanding Professor.

As dean of the Brock School of Business, Dr. Taylor has led a remarkable transformation of the43 year old business school into a regional leader in business education, spearheaded by a $100 million pledge from Alabama banking legend, Harry B. Brock, Jr.  In addition to his prolific fundraising efforts, which have also seen the establishment of new endowed centers, scholarships, and professorships, Dr. Taylor has led the Brock School to establish new degree programs in finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship. 

Additionally, the state’s oldest Evening MBA program has been redesigned to serve the needs of modern executives.  In an effort to embrace the business community and to build bridges for students and professionals alike, Dr. Taylor established the Samford Business Network, with chapters in Birmingham, Atlanta, and Nashville, as well as established a new 45-member advisory board for the school that consists of the region’s top business leaders.

As a scholar, Dr. Taylor has published more than two dozen studies in prestigious economics journals such as Review of Economics and Statistics; Journal of Labor Economics; Journal of Human Resources; and Journal of Money, Credit, and Banking.  Illustrating his diverse research interests, Dr. Taylor has also published in the world’s premier publications in public health (American Journal of Public Health) and child developmental psychology (Child Development). 

Dr. Taylor’s research has been featured in testimony given before the U.S. Congress and the California State Assembly, as well as mentioned in publications such as The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, Education Week, The Houston Chronicle, CFO Magazine, The Harvard University Gazette, and Chief Executive Magazine. 

In 2002, Dr. Taylor presented research findings concerning retail gasoline pricing before the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in Washington, DC.  His research has also been hailed by organizations as diverse as the National Center for Children and Poverty at Columbia University, the Center for Law and Social Policy, the Center for the Advancement of Health, the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development, and the Heritage Foundation.  Dr. Taylor is a popular speaker, and he appears frequently on network television and radio affiliates.

Dr. Taylor is a member of numerous professional and academic organizations including the American Economic Association, Association of Christian Economists, Beta Gamma Sigma, Omicron Delta Epsilon, Beta Alpha Psi, and the Southern Business Administration Association.  Additionally, he served for six years on the editorial board of the Atlantic Economic Journal. He serves on the board of directors for several professional organizations, including Beta Gamma Sigma, the Alabama Council for Economic Education, and the Business Council of Alabama.

Dr. Taylor is a featured speaker at numerous industry conferences and special sessions.  He is considered an expert on the oil and gasoline, convenience store, and agricultural services industries, and he is called upon regularly to meet with CEOs from these industries.  Dr. Taylor has been a consultant for organizations such as Arco, Citgo, ABB Vetco Gray, and the NCAA.  Additionally, Dr. Taylor is affiliated with two consulting firms, Finance and Resource Management Consultants (Bellingham, WA) and AgriFocus, Inc. (Monument, CO), and he currently consults with more than 40 companies.  Dr. Taylor serves as a director for the NASDAQ-listed Goldleaf Financial Solutions, Inc. (Brentwood, TN), and he also serves on the board of McPherson Oil Company, a private fuel and oil distribution company in Birmingham.  Dr. Taylor is a trustee of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham.  In 2006, Dr. Taylor was named as one of Birmingham’s “Top 40 Under 40” by the Birmingham Business Journal.

Dr. Taylor lives in the Birmingham area with his wife, Julie (a 2-time Baylor graduate), and his children, Zachary, Lauren, and Chloe.  They are members of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, where Dr. Taylor teaches an adult Sunday School class.