Middle Tennessee State University’s Board of Trustees recently approved the appointment of Murat Arik, Ph.D., associate professor of management, to the Jennings and Rebecca Jones Chair of Excellence in Urban and Regional Planning.

Arik currently serves as director of the Business and Economic Research Center. This joint role will allow him to further develop initiatives relevant to the planning needs in the Midstate region while encouraging a dialogue on topics with area policymakers, opinion leaders and the community.

Dr. Murat Arik

Dr. David Urban

The chair position will first focus on research and service to the Nashville and Clarksville metropolitan areas, but Arik expressed his excitement to serve as a resource for the broader community in Middle Tennessee counties.

“Ultimately, I will be developing a forum for the community, through governmental advisory committees, conferences, and special events, for the discussion of regional and urban issues. This new role will provide an opportunity to identify solutions to promote effective economic development,” Arik stated.

David Urban, dean of the Jones College of Business, said the strong relationship between the Jones chair of excellence and BERC will provide an opportunity to support the on-campus development of curriculum materials and faculty more knowledgeable with the issues of the region.

“Over the years, the BERC has developed a very solid reputation locally and statewide for its economic impact and feasibility studies, ongoing reports on housing and Tennessee’s world trade, and other customized research, all of which are utilized by public and private entities in policymaking and problem-solving,” Urban said.

As an associate professor in the Department of Management, Arik teaches strategic management, management of innovation, and innovation acceleration to undergraduates. As the new holder of the urban and regional planning chair, Arik will be encouraging more interactions of faculty and students with practitioners in a range of industries influenced and impacted by growth.

“I nominated Dr. Arik to fill this chair of excellence because he deserves it, based on his outstanding work and his can-do attitude. His activities as BERC Director are completely in line with the mission and objectives of the chair,” Urban said.

Arik has consulted extensively with local and state government agencies, chambers of commerce and private businesses. His research focuses on regional economic trends, international business dynamics, strategic management, management of innovation and innovation acceleration.

Throughout his career, Arik has conducted more than 100 consulting projects and published in academic journals. He is the editor emeritus of the Global Journal of Accounting and Finance, and the associate editor of the Global Journal of Management and Marketing.

Arik has received numerous awards for his research and professional services over the years. The notable ones are Kathy and Bill Jones Outstanding Faculty Award with the Jones College of Business, Institute for Global Business Research Fellow Award, and IGBR’s JoAnn C. Carland Distinguished Service Award.

The last chairholder was well-known architect Earl Swensson, and the position has remained vacant since 2008. To learn more about Arik’s service as the Jones chair of excellence, visit https://www.mtsu.edu/berc/planning.php.

— Brian Delaney (Brian.Delaney@mtsu.edu)

This undated photo shows the Nashville, Tenn., skyline. (Photo by Tanner Boriack on Unsplash)