Dr. Timothy M. Stearns, a state and national figure in entrepreneurial education, received the 2009 President’s Award of Excellence at California State University, Fresno.
Stearns is the Coleman Foundation Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies and executive director of the Lyles Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Fresno State. He was honored Jan. 20 at the Spring Assembly for faculty and staff. University Advisory Board chair Dr. Katherine Flores, a Fresno physician, and members James Shekoyan and Julie Tone presented the award.
The President’s Award of Excellence was established in the fall of 2001 by the University Advisory Board to honor Fresno State President John D. Welty. The award recognizes a faculty member who demonstrates integrity, leadership and a commitment to the university and the community as exemplified by President Welty.
University Advisory Board members, who are community leaders who consult with the president, select the winner and donate money for a $10,000 award that accompanies the honor.
Professor Stearns received his MBA degree in management and a doctorate in management/sociology from Indiana University. He previously taught at the University of Wisconsin – Madison and Marquette University.
He has served on the editorial board of the Academy of Management Journal, and currently services on the editorial boards of the Journal of Business Research and the Journal of Small Business Management. He has co-authored a textbook on management and is the author of more than 75 research articles and presentations.
He has taught and lectured on entrepreneurship and innovation to students and executives in Thailand, Poland, Japan, Kazakhstan, Macau, Germany, and the Peoples Republic of China.
Stearns is a co-founder of the National Network for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, a nonprofit located in Rapid City, S.D.
He is a co-leader of the Regional Jobs Initiative executive committee and served on the Fresno Mayor’s Creative Economy Council. He is president of the Central Valley Business Incubator, a not-for-profit facility, and past chair of the Entrepreneurship Division of the Academy of Management, having served as Chair in 2006 and 2008. He is also co-founder of Kids Invent! a company that sells creative hands-on learning around the world.
In 2007, Stearns won the prestigious Wang Family Excellence Award given each year to four faculty members selected from the 23-campus California State University System.
In January 2009, he was elected a fellow of the U.S. Association of Small Business and Entrepreneurship, one of 51 Fellows who have been inducted since 1986.
Previous President’s Award winners include Dr. Brent Auernheimer, professor of computer science and director of Digital Campus; Dr. Stephen A. Rodemeyer, chemistry professor and director of the Smittcamp Family Honors College; classics professor emeritus Dr. Victor Davis Hanson; health researcher Dr. Kathleen Curtis; Dr. James E. Marshall, who specializes in preparing science teachers; and Dr. Carol Fry Bohlin, who was recognized for commitment to the education of mathematics teachers.
