James Named Dean of the A&T College of Business and Economics

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 15, 2019) – Following a rigorous national search, Kevin J. James, Ph.D., has been chosen to serve as dean of the College of Business and Economics at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, school leaders announced today.

James has served as interim dean since August 2017, when former Dean Beryl McEwen was named provost and executive vice chancellor for Academic Affairs of North Carolina A&T. Prior to that, James led the A&T Department of Accounting and Finance as chair since 2010.

In appointing him as the college’s permanent leader, McEwen pointed out that the Search Committee was impressed with James’ nearly 15 years of university-level leadership in business education, his work as a senior auditor for the “Big Four” professional services firm of PricewaterhouseCoopers and an extensive record of academic research and publishing.

“Dr. James stepped into the dean’s office a year and a half ago, and has provided outstanding leadership during a dynamic time for both the college and the university,” said McEwen. “His strong background prepared him well for this challenge, and his performance while serving as interim dean was convincing. I look forward to his leadership in the months and years ahead.”

James holds a B.B.A. in accounting and an M.B.A., both from Middle Tennessee State. He earned a Ph.D. in accounting from the University of Tennessee with a minor in psychology.

He worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers in Nashville beginning in 1991, rising to the roles of senior auditor and audit team leader. After earning his Ph.D., James joined the Middle Tennessee State faculty as an assistant professor of accounting in 2000. In 2015, he was promoted to associate professor and director of the Master of Accountancy program, a post he held until 2010, when he joined the N.C. A&T College of Business and Economics as accounting department chair.

He remains active in his home discipline of accounting, with new peer-reviewed publications recently published and in process. He has also maintained his license as a certified public accountant and is an active member of the American Institute of CPAs.

He assumes the deanship of a college that is a leader in business education, both in North Carolina and beyond. It is one of only 200 business schools internationally that holds AACSB International accreditation for both its accounting program and its business programs.

In recent years, the business school has placed a premium on programmatic innovation that is paying off in multiple ways. In 2018, the university announced a collaboration with AT&T to provide employee access to the college’s online M.B.A. program, as well as two online master’s programs in the College of Science and Technology. Similar collaborations with other corporate partners are in development.

Also in 2018, Online MBA Today ranked the college’s program among the top three in North Carolina alongside North Carolina State and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

James begins his service as dean immediately.