Hair’s Half- Million
Posted on December 17, 2024 by Marketing and Communications
DR. JOE HAIR, one of the most prolific academic researchers in the history of the University of South Alabama, reached a satisfyingly round number this fall when his business and marketing articles were cited for the half-millionth time.
The director of the Ph.D. program in the Mitchell College of Business ranks No. 1 in the world among professors cited in marketing, multivariate data analysis and structural equation modeling.
“I basically reinvented myself when I was 62,” says Hair, who’s now 80 years old. “I’ve reinvented myself my entire career, and my long-term success as a scholar, teacher and consultant has been based on continuously reinventing myself.”
At South, he recruits nontraditional graduate students with a flexible curriculum that enables them to attend classes on weekends and keep working in business and industry.
“These students are experienced, intelligent and highly motivated,” Hair says. “And they too want to reinvent themselves.”
Hair attended the University of Florida, where he earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Before coming to South, he taught at the University of Mississippi, Louisiana State University and Kennesaw State University. Hair still finds time to teach graduate courses each semester.
“Teaching and research go hand in hand,” he says. “I’m constantly updating my books, and I use my students and their feedback to learn what I need to improve upon. It’s like a circular chain. I could not update my books if I didn’t stay in touch with what’s happening in the field, and the way I stay in touch with what’s happening is through my teaching and research.”