Hankamer Honors Alumnus with Inaugural Dean’s Award
Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business (HSB) recognized Suprateek Sarker, MBA ’89, with the inaugural HSB Dean’s Award for his successful career in Information Systems (IS) research and vocal promotion of his Baylor education.
“We are so proud of our alumni and the impact they have in industry, as well as those who make a difference in business education—such as Dr. Sarker,” said Sandeep Mazumder, PhD, the William E. Crenshaw Endowed Dean of the Business School. “It is an honor to recognize such a well-established thought leader for his achievements.”
Sarker serves as the Rolls-Royce Commonwealth Commerce Professor of Information Systems at the University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce, where he has been since 2013. Prior to this role, he spent 14 years at Washington State University after starting his career at George Washington University. Sarker has also held many visiting professor positions during his tenure, such as Copenhagen Business School, Aalto University, the University of Sydney and the London School of Economics.
Sarker is a leader in the IS research field, serving as the editor-in-chief of Information Systems Research and as the 28th president of the Association of Information Systems. He is also a member of many advisory boards in the field.
After earning a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science & Engineering from Jadavpur University in India in 1987, Sarker enrolled at Baylor in the MBA program. Upon graduating, he earned a second master’s degree from Arizona State University and his PhD in Information Systems from the University of Cincinnati.
“My journey in the United States started at Baylor in 1988,” Sarker said. “I came here as a 23-year-old, and the Baylor experience was incredibly enriching. Some of the faculty were exceptional instructors and so kind. It is a very special place in my life.”
Sarker was invited to speak to HSB faculty and PhD students on Friday, where he shared how to be successful in a research career in IS. He challenged those in attendance to reflect on their approach to their research interests and topics, and how they can frame their research to be impactful scholars.
Sarker also reflected on his time at Baylor, noting the influence of several faculty members during his MBA program, including Stan Madden, PhD, Jim King, PhD, Charlene Spoede-Budd, PhD, and Reagan Ramsower, PhD. He also acknowledged some of the senior faculty currently in the Department of Information Systems and Business Analytics, including Chair Jonathan Trower, PhD, Hope Koch, PhD, and Daniel Chen, PhD, who attended his talk. Sarker viewed the opportunity to give back to the institution as an incredible honor.
“Baylor has a strong Information Systems faculty,” Sarker said. “I think where Baylor can especially contribute is to bring the ethical element into our discipline. The other thing is that Texas has so many industries with high-quality Baylor alumni at the helm. They can be a source of data and insights for the faculty members, which can lead to interesting, innovative papers on phenomena that people may not have seen or be familiar with.”
The Dean’s Award is a new recognition from the Business School, recognizing alumni, donors and friends of HSB who go above and beyond to support and represent the Business School’s mission.
