LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Enhanced technology to allow students and faculty greater instructional and research capabilities form the basis of the two newest Jesse H. Harper Endowed Professorship grants in Rider University's College of Business Administration (CBA).

The two recipients are Dr. Maury Randall (left) of Kendall Park, NJ, associate professor of finance and department chair, and Dr. Tina Lowrey of Somerset, NJ, associate professor of marketing. Randall plans to bring Bloomberg Information Technology to the CBA, while Lowrey's project will establish an Advertising Macintosh Lab known as ADLAB.

In the fall of 1994, a $1.83 million bequest from the estate of Lois A. Harper created the endowed professorship in memory of her husband, a 1949 graduate. The purpose of these awards is to enhance teaching in the business college and improve the instructional program through professional development of faculty.

Dr. Randall feels the Bloomberg system will provide opportunities for a significant number of students to complete research assignments using cutting edge technology. It will also enable faculty to bring material, handouts, and other information into the classroom.

While the Bloomberg system contains extensive economic, financial, and accounting information, its applications go far beyond those fields. The news, data, and technical capabilities are useful in teaching strategic management, marketing, management science, and management.

Dr. Lowrey (left) foresees the ADLAB providing students and faculty with a Mac lab equipped with state-of-the-art software that has become a requirement for those seeking jobs in the advertising industry. The grant will allow her to improve the relevance of coursework students and provide faculty with the skills to teach modern techniques.

In addition, Dr. Lowrey also plans to build relationships with advertising agencies. She hopes that by providing students with high-level skills, insights, and potential contacts, the advertising program will continue to attract students and contribute to their career success.

Dr. Randall and Dr. Lowrey are the eighth and ninth recipients of Harper Professorships. Their projects augment a growing list of projects that have significantly enhanced the business curricula and faculty development.

Previous recipients and their projects are: Dr. Hope Corman, economics, health care curricular development; Dr. Ronald Cook, management, entreprenuership program; Dr. Sigfredo Hernandez, marketing, Minding Our Business program; Dr. Biju Mathew, computer information systems, use of World Wide Web in classroom; Dr. Anne Carroll, finance, expansion of health care courses; Dr. Radha Chaganti, business policy, expansion of entrepreneurship program; and Dr. Jean Darian, marketing, enhancement of teaching effectiveness.

Dr. Randall joined the Rider finance faculty in 1982. An expert in financial management and investment analysis, he previously taught at Rutgers University and New York University Graduate School of Business Administration. He earned a Ph.D. in finance and economics from New York University, a M.A. degree from the University of Chicago, and a B.A. degree in mathematics and economics from NYU.

Dr. Lowrey, whose expertise is in advertising and consumer psychology, joined the marketing faculty in 1992. She holds Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in advertising from the University of Illinois-Urbana and a B.A. degree in finance from the University of Houston. Before coming to Rider, she served as a lecturer and research assistant at the University of Illinois.

Rider University is an independent, coeducational, nonsectarian institution with a 353-acre main campus in Lawrenceville, New Jersey and a 23-acre campus in Princeton, New Jersey. The University offers 58 undergraduate programs and 17 graduate programs in the Colleges of Business Administration; Liberal Arts, Education, and Sciences; Continuing Studies; and Westminster Choir College. Ninety-three percent of the faculty hold doctoral or other appropriate advanced degrees. U.S. News and World Report has again ranked Rider in the top tier of northern universities based on the quality of its programs.