James P. Reburn has been named interim dean of Samford University’s Brock School of Business, effective at the end of the spring semester. Samford Provost J. Bradley Creed announced Reburn’s appointment Friday (April 16).
Reburn, who has served as associate dean since 2005, replaces Beck A. Taylor, who on Friday was elected president of Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash. Taylor will continue as business dean through mid-May and remain at Samford through June to assist with transition, Creed said.
“Jim Reburn has been heavily involved in the recent transformation of Samford’s Brock School of Business,” Creed noted. “His 15 years of experience on our faculty and his administrative leadership as associate dean will serve him and the Brock School of Business well. We are fortunate to have someone of his caliber available to lead us during this transition.”
Reburn joined the Samford faculty in 1996, teaching primarily in accounting and information systems. Previously he taught at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Centenary College, Shreveport, La. He has a doctor of business administration degree in accounting from Louisiana Tech University and is a certified public accountant. He is a member of the American Accounting Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, as well as several other national and regional professional organizations and honor societies.
“Our relationships with our external constituents have helped us grow our brand over the past five years,” said Reburn. “I am committed to keeping the Brock School engaged with the business community. It is important to remember that our mission, our vision, and our goals remain the same during this time of transition. We will continue to deliver life-long business education through quality teaching and meaningful scholarship informed by Christian principles.”
Reburn also had praise for Taylor’s work as dean.
“Dean Taylor has set the Brock School of Business on a phenomenal trajectory,” Reburn added. “He was hired as a change agent and has done a tremendous job leading the school in expanding academic programs and connecting with the business community. It is important that we maintain that same momentum.”
Creed and Samford President Andrew Westmoreland said a national search would be conducted for a new dean while continuing to move the business school forward.
“We will be working with our faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other friends to sustain the great momentum that Dean Taylor has helped to create for the Brock School of Business,” Westmoreland said. “I will be personally involved in each step, and I am certain that the greatest days for our programs and people still lie ahead of us.”
As associate dean, Reburn has worked with Taylor, university administrators and the business school faculty and staff in leading Samford’s business school through a significant reorganization, including its naming as the Brock School of Business in 2007. New programs were added in social entrepreneurship, and leadership and ethics, and the Samford Business Network was established with regular gatherings in Birmingham, Nashville and Atlanta. Other programs were revamped to meet 21st century business needs. The school recently was reaccredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AASCB).
Westmoreland praised Taylor’s leadership as business dean.
“Beck Taylor has provided extraordinary leadership for the Brock School of Business, and we are grateful for his significant contributions to Samford University,” Westmoreland said. “While we regret the loss of Beck’s leadership at Samford and in the regional business community, we applaud Whitworth University for their pursuit of him.”
Taylor became Samford’s business dean in 2005 after serving as associate dean of Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business. He becomes Whitworth’s 18th president. Whitworth was founded in 1890 and is affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Recognized as one of the top regional colleges and universities in the West, Whitworth has an enrollment of 2,700 students and offers 55 undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Like Samford, Whitworth is a member of the Council of Christian Colleges and Universities.