Four faculty members in the Walker College of Business at Appalachian State University have earned 2024-25 Dean’s Club Research Prizes for high-impact and innovative scholarly work.
Assistant professors of management Dr. Jacqueline Tilton and Dr. Justin Kent earned the first prize.
Assistant professor of management Dr. Mark Bolinger and professor of digital marketing Dr. Lubna Nafees earned the second prize. Both Bolinger and Nafees are two-time awardees, having earned the second-place prize in 2021-22 and 2020-21, respectively.
The awards were presented during the Sywassink Awards for Excellence Program and Dinner on April 29, 2025. Related: App State honors 7 faculty and staff with 2025 Sywassink Awards for Excellence
Dean's Club Prize Winners, from left, Mark Bolinger, Lubna Nafees, Jacqueline Tilton, Justin Kent.
About the Dean’s Club Research Prize
The Dean’s Club Research Prize recognizes and rewards innovative business research at App State that reflects the Walker College's mission, vision, and values while aligning with the UN's 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
The winners are selected by an interdisciplinary committee of business faculty and a member of the Business Advisory Council.
Past recipients of the Dean’s Club Research prize are:
- Pia Albinsson (2018-19)
- Mark Bollinger (2021-22, 2024-25)
- Joseph Cazier (2020-21)
- Neel Das (2019-20)
- David Dickinson (2018-19, 2022-23)
- Dennis Guignet (2019-20, 2022-23)
- Brandy Hadley (2019-20, 2022-23)
- Ed Hassler (2020-21)
- Youngeui Kim (2023-24)
- Lubna Nafees (2020-21, 2024-25)
- Nik Nikolov (2021-22)
- Rajat Panwar (2018-19)
- Jayjit Roy (2021-22)
- Shishir Shakya (2023-24)
- David Shows (2018-19)
- Tiberiu Ungureanu (2023-24)
- Jason Xiong (2020-21)
The awards are funded by the Walker College of Business Dean's Club, an annual giving society designed to benefit App State business students and faculty and enhance the Walker College of Business's academic programs.
The prize was first awarded in 2019. Learn more about the Dean’s Club Research Prize.
About Faculty Research in the Walker College of Business
The Walker College faculty produce and disseminate extensive research through both academic and professional communities. In the last five years, faculty have published 543 peer reviewed academic journal articles, 160 conference proceedings, and made 533 conference and professional presentations. In total, faculty have produced 1,175 intellectual contributions in the last five years. Approximately 520 intellectual contributions were made in basic or discovery research, 540 in applied or integrative research, and 115 contributions in teaching and learning research. For more information, visit business.appstate.edu/faculty/research.
From left are Jacqueline Tilton, Justin Kent, Mark Bolinger and Lubna Nafees
2024-25 Dean's Club Research Prize Winners