Fizel receives Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award

University Park, Pa. -- John Fizel, professor of economics at Penn State Erie and chair of Penn State's iMBA program, is this year's winner of the Graduate Program Chair Leadership Award.

The award honors faculty members for exemplary leadership that benefits graduate students and faculty in an existing graduate program at the University. The award's design acknowledges the recipient's efforts to enhance student recruitment, professional development and placement, and mentoring and promotion of faculty and students in the graduate program. The winner works to enhance his program's diversity, educational quality, resources and national visibility, and promotes professional ethics and its integration into all elements of graduate programming.

iMBA is a two-year online master's degree in business administration (MBA) that is designed to help working professionals develop cross-functional expertise for organizational strategy development and problem solving. For more information on the iMBA program, visit http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/iMBA.shtml online.

Fizel has directed the program since its inception in 2002 when it began with 27 students. Now the program enrolls about 150 students, with enrollees having come from 42 states and 18 countries. In his role, Fizel has managed the difficult task of coordinating the efforts of four campuses that offer an MBA while consistently acting in the best interest of the University, program and student. Colleagues noted his determination to mentor and promote both faculty and students.

Additionally, Fizel has been the driving force behind the enhancement of the program’s growth in diversity, educational quality and national visibility. He was cited by nominators for his ability to encourage collaboration and integration and recruit high-quality students.

"Overall, it is hard to imagine that anyone could demonstrate more excellence in leadership of graduate education," said one nominator.