Strickland Awarded the Sullivan Faculty Award Update
- April 12th, 2016
- in Behind the Scenes: Meet our Staff & Faculty, EMBA Elite Spotlight Series
Dr. Lonnie Strickland, John R. Miller Professor of Strategic Management, is the 2016 Algernon Sydney Sullivan Faculty Award honoree. Considered the highest honor The University of Alabama offers. Recipients of the award have demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship, leadership, and service. The Sullivan Faculty Award recognizes the practical application of noble ideals and is based on excellence of character and service to humanity.
Strickland currently teaches Strategy Formulation and Implementation in the Tuscaloosa and Huntsville EMBA Programs. He began teaching at Alabama in 1969 and is one of the founders of and has taught in every EMBA class at Alabama since its inception 31 years ago. He has won every major teaching award the University has to offer. He is also ranked first, second, or third when graduating Culverhouse students are asked a version of the following question, “Name one person who has had a significant influence on your life at Alabama.”
A rigorous, demanding and passionate professor as well as a skillful raconteur who is held in high esteem by his students. According to Jimmy Mauldin (EMBA 2002), Economic Counselor, U.S. Embassy-Accra Ghana, “Lonnie Strickland’s classes on strategic management always come to mind … even 13 years later.”
The impact of Strickland’s teaching is evident in the stories our alumni continue to tell. “We grew market share of a key product in a growing segment from 15% to ultimately 100% ($200M annual run rate) over a seven-year period using principles of Michael Porter’s 5-forces model taught in Lonnie Strickland’s Strategy class,” according to Kevin Morgan (EMBA 1998), Director of Cloud and Services Marketing, ADTRAN, “and along the way we put competitors out of business.” Strong testament to the power of a course and a professor who strives to make a difference in a student’s life.
“To Lonnie, teaching is a vocation, not a job,” said long time peer and friend, Dr. Ron Dulek, John R. Miller Professor of Management, and EMBA Professor of Business Communications. “I can assure you, as one who sees him daily either before he goes or after he returns from class, he is as excited about and dedicated to teaching well today as he was in 1969 when he started teaching at Alabama.”
Strickland is co-author of the best-selling strategic management textbook, Crafting and Executing Strategy, which is currently used at 900 universities worldwide. Along the way he has served as National President of Phi Kappa Phi; served on various local, regional and national Boards of Directors, including two Fortune 1000 size companies: the Statesman Group and American Equity; co-founded a number of smaller companies and has been an advisor to countless students in their efforts to start small businesses or advance their corporate careers.
Dr. Strickland has been a tremendous supporter of the EMBA Program and continues to be an inspirational source for our students and alumni. Congratulations Lonnie.
Donna Blackburn, Director, EMBA Program
For more information on The University of Alabama Executive MBA Program contact Cheryl Altemara at 205.348.4501, or caltemara@cba.ua.edu.