SBA doctoral program continues 100 percent placement record

Matthew Ross and Chenguang Shang, Ph.D. candidates in the WSU School of Business Administration, have each accepted faculty appointments at nationally recognized business schools for the fall 2014 term.

Ross will join the faculty of the Haworth College of Business at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, as an assistant professor in the Department of Finance and Commercial Law. Shang has accepted a position as an assistant professor in the Department of Finance at Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts. 

"Our finance doctoral graduate placement record has been excellent, especially given that we have a relatively new program," said Sudip Datta, interim chair of the school’s Department of Finance. "We placed all three doctoral students from our first cohort and now with Chenguang and Matthew’s recent appointments, both of our students from the second cohort."

Matthew Ross

Ross earned a B.S.E. in chemical engineering from the University of Michigan in 2000, followed by four years as an officer in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, including a deployment in Iraq. Upon leaving the service in 2004, Ross earned an M.B.A. from Drexel University in Philadelphia while managing projects for Sunoco, a Fortune 500 company.

He joined the Ph.D. program at WSU in 2010 and was recognized with the business school’s inaugural Student Teaching Award in 2012. Scheduled to defend his dissertation in July, his research, titled "Elections and Asset Pricing: The Politically Sensitive Equity of US Military Contractors," is motivated by his military experience, providing insight into the interaction between stock prices and politics.

Raised on the west side of the state, an appointment at Western Michigan is a homecoming of sorts for Ross. "For four years in a row, Western Michigan has been recognized as a top university for veterans, and is one of only a few that offers coursework in military science and leadership within the business school," Ross said. "As a veteran myself, I found that very interesting and appealing. It gives me an opportunity to give back while moving my career forward."

Chenguang Shang

Shang’s area of interest includes mergers and acquisitions and, more specifically, corporate governance and executive compensation. Prior to attending WSU, Shang earned a B.A. in accounting at Jiangxi University of Finance and Economics in China and an M.S. in finance at Temple University in Philadelphia. Before leaving for the U.S., he interned at Beijing Huayuanxingye Investment Co., Ltd.

As a doctoral student, Shang has received several honors for his teaching and scholarship at WSU. He’s earned both the School of Business Administration’s Student Teaching Award as well as the university’s Thomas C. Rumble University Graduate Fellowship.

Shang’s dissertation, titled "Deal Innovations in Mergers and Acquisitions: Do Go Shop Provisions Create Real Benefits?" examines the effect of the provision that allows companies being sold to solicit other offers even after they have reached initial deals with the original bidders.

More Info on the Ph.D. Program

In addition to finance, the Wayne State University School of Business Administration also offers doctoral degrees with concentrations in management and marketing. Those programs also boast a 100 percent placement rate, having placed graduates in top positions in academia and industry. For more information on these programs, please visit http://business.wayne.edu/phd/index.php or contact Ph.D. Program Director Professor Attila Yaprak, at businessphd@wayne.edu.
 

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