NC State Names New Dean of Poole College of Management

Frank Buckless has been named Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Dean of the Poole College of Management at North Carolina State University after a nationwide search. His appointment becomes effective on July 1.

NC State Provost Warwick Arden announced the appointment today.

“With his long and successful tenure as a faculty member and administrator in Poole College and his commitment to excellence and innovation, I am confident that Dr. Buckless will build on the college’s reputation as a business education leader,” Arden said.

Most recently, Buckless served as interim dean of Poole College and Matthew and Ruth Keen Faculty Fellow. He has been a faculty member in the Department of Accounting at NC State since 1989. He served as KPMG Professor and head of the department for 18 years and also as associate dean for faculty and academic affairs.

“Poole College of Management has been an industry innovator since our formation in 1992. I am excited to lead our college as we continue to collaborate across the university and with our industry partners to build upon our strengths and establish Poole College as one of the preeminent business schools worldwide,” Buckless said. “I am grateful to be part of the Poole College community where our students, alumni, faculty, staff, employers and friends work tirelessly to think beyond traditional boundaries and to do the extraordinary.”

Buckless’ research interests include accounting education, audit and sustainability. He has published in top journals, including The Accounting Review and Issues in Accounting Education, serving as associate editor of the latter. He also has served on the editorial board of Accounting Education: A Journal of Theory, Practice and Research; The Accounting Educators’ Journal; and Journal of Accounting Education.

Buckless received – along with colleagues Kathy Krawczyk and Scott Showalter – the 2016 American Accounting Association’s “Innovation in Accounting Education Award” for their use of the Second Life virtual reality world to enhance the classroom learning experience. Buckless has published numerous educational books related to audit education.

Buckless is a member of the American Accounting Association, serving as accounting program leadership group president in 2014-15. He has also consulted on various audit training and audit litigation projects.

Buckless earned his Ph.D. in accounting from Michigan State University in 1989. Prior to his academic career, he served as an auditor at Arthur Andersen & Co.

The Poole College of Management combines academic scholarship with real-world experience to foster learning, create knowledge, and engage with industry and academic partners in a data-rich, global marketplace. Poole is deeply rooted in NC State’s history as a university that excels at science, technology, engineering and math – taking an innovative approach to leadership and management education by emphasizing analytical problem solving and an entrepreneurial mindset. Poole offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting, business administration and economics, as well as non-degree executive programs through NC State Executive Programs, LLC. Poole’s centers and initiatives provide focused research and engagement in the areas of enterprise risk, entrepreneurship, innovation, supply chain and sustainability. The college is fully accredited by AACSB International.

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