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Dr. Widing has been with Thunderbird since March 2005. He came to the school following over 10 years at the University of Melbourne in Australia, which included terms as chair of marketing and associate dean of graduate studies. |
Dr. Robert Widing
Provost and Senior Vice President
Robert E. Widing is Provost and Senior Vice President at the Thunderbird School of Global Management. He oversees Thunderbird’s portfolio of degree programs, school accreditations, learning outcomes, and faculty and research-related matters.
In this role, Dr. Widing works closely with all degree leaders, including the full-time, distance learning, and executive MBA programs, the deans of faculty and research, and the leaders of student services. He helps ensure that each of Thunderbird’s programs delivers on three key dimensions, including learning outcomes, student satisfaction, and financial soundness, and that Thunderbird’s entire portfolio of programs continues to position the school as the world leader in global business education.
Dr. Widing has been with Thunderbird since March 2005. He came to the school following over 10 years at the University of Melbourne in Australia, which included terms as chair of marketing and associate dean of graduate studies. His earlier academic appointments included Bond University in Australia and Case Western Reserve University in the United States. He also held an honorary appointment at Thammasat University (Bangkok) and a conjoint professorship with Universitas21 (Singapore). He received BA (History), MBA, and Ph.D. (Marketing and International Business) degrees from The Ohio State University. He is a dual citizen of Australia and the United States of America.
Dr. Widing was awarded the highest marketing research honor in Australasia, The Distinguished Marketing Researcher Award, from the Australia-New Zealand Marketing Academy. He was recognized as a “Top-Ten” marketing researcher in Australasia and Asia by the Journal of Marketing Education. Six of his over 100 publications have received awards, including ones from the American Marketing Association and the Academy of Marketing Science. He is the lead author of Customer Behaviour: Consumer Behaviour and Beyond (Thomson Learning, Pacific Rim).
Dr. Widing's teaching has been recognized through eight awards from four universities and he has also been listed in BusinessWeek as an “outstanding faculty member.” Four of his doctoral students have received prestigious awards for their dissertations. He was awarded the quadrennial “Chairman’s Award” from Thammasat University in recognition of his contributions to its Ph.D. program in marketing. He has consulted with and given talks to numerous academic and business organizations in Australia, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America.