The Academy of Management (AOM) presented UCF College of Business Administration professor, Robert Ford, Ph.D., with the Richard M. Hodgetts Distinguished Career Award at this year’s Management History Division Business Meeting in Philadelphia. The Hodgetts Award was created in honor of Dr. Richard Hodgetts’ achievements in three areas throughout his career: excellence in teaching, excellence in research, and excellence in service to the Academy.
Ford is only the second person to receive this prestigious honor since its inception in 2007. His service to the field of management, in research and in teaching has earned him this honor.
Ford served AOM as chair of the Management History Division, the Management Education and Management Development Division, the Academy’s Placement Committee, the Ethics Adjudication Committee, editor of the Academy of Management Executive journal, and recently, as a founding co-chair of the Community of Academy Senior Scholars. Ford has held every elected office of the Southern Management Association and served as the dean of its fellows. He also served as a member of the accreditation commission of the Destination Marketing Association International and chaired the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration.
Ford joined UCF in 1993 as the head of the then Hospitality Department in the College of Business Administration and later became the associate dean of graduate and external programs. His teaching and research has concentrated on the management of service organizations and he has authored or co-authored over 150 articles and presentations plus six books. He is now professor emeritus in the college’s Department of Management, but he continues to publish and serve his profession and community.
Established in 1968, the UCF College of Business Administration offers degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and executive levels. All programs, as well as the Kenneth G. Dixon School of Accounting are accredited by AACSB International – the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
The college provides high-quality academic programs designed to give students a competitive advantage in the world of business now and in the future. As such, the college establishes partnerships with some of the nation’s most innovative leaders to model new and best practices that harness evolving technology. In addition, the college promotes a unique culture of engagement, risk-taking, cross-disciplinary collaboration and data-driven decision making in an effort to ensure students are well prepared to enter a dynamic marketplace.
America’s Partnership University: The University of Central Florida, the nation’s second-largest university with nearly 60,000 students, has grown in size, quality, diversity and reputation in its first 50 years. Today, the university offers more than 200 degree programs at its main campus in Orlando and more than a dozen other locations. UCF is an economic engine attracting and supporting industries vital to the region’s future while providing students with real-world experiences that help them succeed after graduation. For more information, visit https://www.ucf.edu/news/.