Robert King is final ESU business dean candidate
Emporia, KS (05/06/2026) — The final of three candidates being considered as the next dean of Emporia State's School of Business and Technology will meet the community at a forum on Thursday, May 7.
Robert Allen King, associate dean of undergraduate business programs, associate professor of marketing and Wilder professor of usiness in the Paul and Virginia Engler College of Business at West Texas A&M University, will meet community at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7, at Sauder Alumni Center, 1500 Highland St.
A second on-campus open presentation will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday May 8, in Cremer Hall Room 205, the Roe R. Cross Room.
King holds three degrees from West Texas A&M: a bachelor of business administration and master of business administration, both in marketing, and a master's degree in finance and economics. He earned a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Mississippi.
After earning his Ph.D., King returned to West Texas A&M as assistant professor of marketing. He has been associate professor of marketing and Wilder professor of business since 2021, the same year be because associate dean of graduate business programs. He became associate dean of undergraduate business programs in 2024.
King's full curriculum vitae is online.
The first candidate visited Emporia on April 30 and May 1. The second visited Monday and Tuesday, May 4 and 5. The next dean follows Ed Bashaw, who retired from ESU at the end of the 2024-25 academic year. Internal administrators have served as interim deans since May 2025.
About Emporia State University
Emporia State University offers a range of academic programs through its seven schools: Applied Health Sciences, Business and Technology, Humanities and Social Sciences, Library and Information Management and Library and Archives, Science and Mathematics and Visual and Performing Arts, along with The Teachers College.
ESU stands out for its innovative education practices. It ensures accessible education by offering in-state tuition rates to full-time undergraduate students from all lower-48 United States. Additionally, full-time undergraduates benefit from flat-rate tuition - students enrolled in 12 or more credit hours with at least one credit hour on campus pay a flat rate.
For more information on how to build your future at Emporia State University, please visit www.emporia.edu.
Emporia State University
Gwendolynne Larson, ESU director of media relations, (620) 341-5528, glarson1@emporia.eduShare this Story
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