Jim Wetherbe

Jim Wetherbe is the Richard Schulze Distinguished Professor at Texas Tech University's Rawls College of Business, with affiliations spanning multiple institutions including the University of Minnesota and University of Memphis. He holds a PhD in Management Information Systems from Texas Tech University and has served as director of prominent research centers like the FedEx Center for Cycle Time Research and the Institute for Internet Buyer Behavior. His academic career spans over 40 years, combining teaching, research, and industry consulting.

Education: PhD in Management Information Systems (Texas Tech University, 1976), MBA (Texas Tech, 1973), BBA (New Mexico State University, 1971), and AD in Computer Science (NMSU, 1970). He is a Distinguished Alumnus of both Texas Tech and New Mexico State University, and in NMSU's Hall of Fame.

Research focuses on Management Information Systems, Organizational Behavior, and Computer Science applications in business. He pioneered cycle time reduction research and has published over 40 books and numerous articles. Notable works include *The World on Time* (FedEx case study) and textbooks on systems analysis.

His articles emphasize entrepreneurship, academic tenure reform, and technology governance. Recent work critiques the tenure system and explores entrepreneurial philanthropy's role in higher education.

• Awards: MIS Quarterly Distinguished Scholar Award, Schulze Foundation Awards, and recognition as a top MIS speaker by Information Week.
• Leadership Roles: Director of the MIS Executive Institute, Associate Dean for Research at Texas Tech, and board member for corporations like Best Buy and Ciber.
• Research Funding: Secured over $15M in corporate and state grants for research centers focused on cycle time, buyer behavior, and technology.

Labs/Teams: Founded the FedEx Center for Cycle Time Research (Memphis) and Texas Tech's Institute for Internet Buyer Behavior. These centers emphasized industry-academia collaboration and applied research.