2024 Bender of Twigs

It is a great privilege to reflect on 25 years of faithful service to Wichita State by one of the most accomplished academics on campus – Dr. Steven Farmer. Steve joined the Barton School as an assistant professor and promptly rose through the career steps to associate professor to full professor and to an endowed professor with a remarkable research pipeline. Steve’s exemplary research has positioned him as one of the most recognized scholars in the field of creativity in organizations. His work is widely respected, and his collaborations with nearly everyone in the department have enriched our collective research productivity. One of his proudest accomplishments is being appointed as a Barton Endowed Chair.

His dedication to advancing knowledge is only overshadowed by his generosity in sharing his expertise with others, ensuring that the next generations of management faculty could grow under his mentorship. Steve worked with many of us and showed us the ropes towards academic success. I still keep and cherish a few emails in which he provided step-by-step instructions about responding to reviewers. I must admit that some of my papers would not have made it through the peer review process without his wisdom. His legacy includes shaping the careers of others, patiently teaching the art of academia to junior colleagues, and helping many of us succeed with his guidance and practical suggestions.

Steve is a dedicated teacher that takes time to attend to every student in his challenging and well-prepared classes. Whether inspiring young minds in the management introductory class or challenging graduate students in a research methods class, Steve never spared any effort to bring students along to a better understanding of the complexities of human behaviors.

In addition to his scholarly and teaching roles, Steve has served as department chair – his leadership has been instrumental in hiring high-quality faculty, strengthening the department, and shaping the future of the Barton School. Steve served as an associate editor of one of the elite journals in our field – Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. This was a demanding role that brought great prominence to our institution.

It has been one of the honors of my career to research, teach, and serve alongside Dr. Farmer. By example, he taught us to serve our school, our university, our community, and our profession. My colleagues and I are better scholars and better citizens because we grew up around a shining star like Dr. Farmer. His 25 years in Wichita State are marked with dozens of papers accepted, hundreds of reviews written, thousands of young minds awakened, and many treasured moments shared with friends.