Buis Creek, N.C.–Campbell University deans Melissa Essary and Ben Hawkins were selected as “Impact Education Leaders” for 2008 by leading Triangle business publication, “Business Leader.” Essary and Hawkins were among 25 educators chosen from the Triangle area to make the list. The list is compiled according to the impact each individual has made in the advancement of education.Melissa Essary, who became dean of Campbell’s Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law in 2006, was recognized for her pivotal role in the process of relocating the law school to Raleigh.”Essary has worked for the past year with numerous constituencies in orchestrating the relocation of the law school to downtown Raleigh,” according to the “Leader. Raleigh is the largest state capital in the country without a law school. “The Campbell law school will become the first new institution of higher learning to locate in Raleigh since 1891.”Essary was also credited with increasing minority enrollment at Campbell’s law school. She claimed her recognition as an Impact Education Leader for Campbell University.”The recognition is as much for Campbell University as it is for our respective schools,” she said. “I think that Campbell is becoming more visible and recognized as a leader in higher education, and I think that trend will continue. My inclusion on the list is also the result of a bold and visionary move on the part of the trustees to relocate the law school to Raleigh.”Essary graduated from the University of Texas at Austin and earned a Juris Doctor from Baylor University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude. Prior to coming to Campbell, Essary was a professor of law at Baylor University.Dr. Ben Hawkins, dean of Campbell’s Lundy-Fetterman School of Business, was cited for his successful leadership of the school’s many innovative programs.”The School of Business offers unique programs in trust and investment management at both the graduate and undergraduate level,” according to the “Leader.” “One of the unique features of the Master of Business Administration program at Campbell is that it is the only part-time MBA program in the Triangle area designed for completion within one year.” Hawkins claimed the award on behalf of the business school’s programs which are gaining recognition with the wider public.”For many years Campbell has been a great institution but not really considered a part of the triangle,” Hawkins said. “Now with the relocation of the law school and the programs at our RTP campus, we’ve become more visible. I think that’s a very positive thing for the university. We’re just glad that the business school can be a part of that. I also think that the MBA program located at our RTP campus has been very positive for us.”Hawkins received a Bachelor of Arts in business and economics from Furman University in Greenville, S.C. He earned a Master of Arts and a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky. Prior to becoming dean of the Lundy-Fetterman School of Business in 2004, Hawkins served as vice president for Academic Affairs and Student Life at Louisiana College in Pineville.Photo Copy: Campbell University deans Melissa Essary and Ben Hawkins (Photo by Haven Hottel)
Campbell deans named “Impact Education Leaders” of the year