William H Wells

— Biography from the 2023 Spring Commencement program —

Dr. Wells received his BA (1977) from Jacksonville University and his PhD (1999) from The University of Mississippi. He joined the faculty at Georgia Southern in 2001 as a tenure-track Assistant Professor. He earned tenure and progressed to the rank of Associate Professor in 2007. Dr. Wells taught a broad range of courses in finance at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Additionally, he served in a variety of administrative roles. From 2007 to 2011 he served as Department Chair of Finance and Quantitative Analysis; from 2012-2013, he served as Interim Dean of the former College of Business Administration (now Parker College of Business); and from 2011-2017, he served as Associate Dean for Faculty and Curriculum. Dr. Wells’ research has appeared in academic journals including: The Journal of Financial Planning, The Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance, and Southern Business and Economic Journal. Dr. Wells has been heavily involved with student engagement through internships, honors theses, graduate research, and scholarships. For several years, Dr. Wells met with outstanding high school seniors and their families through Southern Scholars. Prior to earning tenure, he was named Director of the Center for Banking Excellence and also coordinated the internship program for the finance majors. Through these roles, he engaged with bankers from Atlanta to Savannah. Along with former president Dr. Brooks Keel, Dr. Wells met with the Georgia Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions, resulting in the university receiving matching funds for the Truist Endowed Chair in Money and Banking. Dr. Wells has served his department, college, and university through several committees, both as a senator and member of the Senate Executive Committee on two different occasions. He served as chair of the GECC and GCPC and has served on the college’s governance and strategic planning committees. At the department level, he has served on several search committees. For these and many other contributions to the university, college, and department and to his students and profession, Dr. William Wells is deserving of the title of Associate Professor Emeritus of Finance.*