Distinguished Professor Avan Jassawalla (SUNY Geneseo/Keith Walters '11)
School of Business faculty member Avan Jassawalla has been awarded the rank of Distinguished Professor by the SUNY Board of Trustees. Distinguished ranks are the highest honors awarded by SUNY.
Distinguished Professors are noted for their national or international prominence and distinguished reputation within their field and their significant contributions to research and scholarship.
“My research has given me the opportunity to study topics in my field that are relevant to both the business world and to the classroom,” says Jassawalla of the announcement and her work. “It has been gratifying to share my findings with Geneseo students and help them see how they can work towards becoming more effective team members, leaders, and managers.”
Jassawalla has been on the Geneseo faculty for 21 years. She joined the School of Business faculty in 1999 and became a professor of management in 2011.
She earned a bachelor of commerce in accounting and a master of commerce in public administration at the University of Bombay, India. She then earned a master of arts in speech communication and a master of science in instructional design, development and evaluation at Syracuse University. She earned a doctor of philosophy in business administration from Syracuse University as well.
Jassawalla currently teaches organizational behavior and human resource management at Geneseo. She also teaches the leadership in organizations course to graduate students in the School of Business. In addition to her Geneseo leadership, Jassawalla has taught as a visiting lecturer at Woosong University in South Korea and Richmond American University in the United Kingdom.
Jassawalla’s other recognitions include receiving the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities in 2020. In addition, Jassawalla has published her diverse work in over 25 publications, including refereed journal articles and book chapters, including The Academy of Management Learning & Education and the California Management Review.
Geneseo President Denise A. Battles and Provost Stacey Robertson each recognized her international prominence and reputation as a distinguished researcher in the fields of business, particularly organizational behavior, human resource management, and leadership. Jassawalla also established leading work in intergenerational workplace conflict and student-college interactions during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Professor Jassawalla is an award-winning, internationally recognized expert in innovation management, brand management, and international human resource management,” Robertson said in a nomination letter. “Her impact is not limited to the U.S. – scholars across the globe are reading and citing her work, from South Africa to Canada.”
Read more about Distinguished Professor Avan Jassawalla's research on intergenerational conflict in the workplace in the Geneseo Scene.