Meet Dr. Jeremy Cox
New Member of MISE Faculty

By Sue McMurray

While Jeremy Cox is a gifted mathematician, one of his greatest talents lies in his ability to help people see business as something much more than a mathematical, profit-maximizing endeavor. After earning his MBA, he worked for a marketing company, building predictive models to decipher customer behavior. As he began analyzing customers, employees, managers, and society, he developed strong convictions that business needs to be taught in a different way.

Those convictions led him to earn a doctorate, and his research exploring business entrepreneurship and strategy led him to WSU.

Attracted by WSU’s reputation as a great research institution, Cox applied for an assistant professor of management, a career track position in the Carson College’s Department of Management, Information Systems, and Entrepreneurship (MISE). He joined the Pullman campus this fall.

“As I was able to interact with the faculty, I found the MISE department to be one of the most, if not the most, collegial groups I have been around,” he says. “I’m extremely fortunate to have been brought into the department. As I’ve gotten to know more about our students at WSU, I realize I am a part of a truly special place.”

“I am excited to have Jeremy as a member of the department,” says Robert Crossler, department chair. “His background and education have prepared him well to teach our students.  I look forward to seeing the impact Jeremy can make as we continue to develop the Next Carson Coug!”

Teaching philosophies align with The Next Carson Coug initiative

Cox will teach Introduction to Business and the Business Strategy and Policy capstone course while producing scholarly research to benefit managers, advisory boards, business owners, and employees. His research interests span social entrepreneurship, nonprofits, franchises, cognitive and behavioral strategy, and judgement and decision-making.

“I really love challenging students and practitioners to rethink their role in society,” he says. “Running a business is not simply about making money. There is also a responsibility to the communities you operate in, and to the employees whose labor you depend on. It is important to think more broadly about what this special position means, and how as managers, owners, and leaders we can make money, but also make a difference.”

His teaching philosophies are a good match with The Next Carson Coug, the college’s undergraduate curriculum that focuses on key competencies including communications skills, teamwork and collaboration, professionalism, work ethic, and career management.

“The college has a solid goal for what a graduate should look like, and I think it matches well with what employers want,” Cox says. “All schools will have to better incorporate data analysis into all courses, and Carson is doing this.”

Parlaying career and research experience to benefit students, business practitioners

Cox brings a vast and varied amount of career experience to the classroom. After earning his bachelor’s degree in mathematics, he worked as an actuary, building mathematical models to quantify and price risk. From there, he worked for various large banks, building loss models after the financial crisis of 2007. After completing his MBA, he wanted to try his hand at something “non-financial,” and he worked as a business analyst and forecasting consultant for a digital marking company.

As a management scholar, he plans to explore the use of text analysis—such as data from financial statements, public disclosures, and executive transcripts—and its role in business foresight and strategic decision-making. Ultimately, Cox plans to publish relevant research in top academic journals but also find more outlets where business practitioners may benefit from his research findings.