Dr. David W. Whitlock

Dean, John Massey School of Business

“Discover where your interests, passions, and talents meet the needs of others, and you will know your purpose in life. Your job or career is not what will bring meaning to your life, but knowing your purpose will.”

Degrees Held:

PhD, University of Oklahoma, 1995
MBA, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 2000
MAS, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 1985
BS, Chemistry, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, 1984

Career Highlights:

Dr. Whitlock is the retired President of OBU in Shawnee, Oklahoma where he served as CEO, managed a $79 million annual budget, 326 employees, and a campus of 226 acres. He was the third longest tenured president of OBU (2008-2019). Prior to serving there, he was the Dean of the College of Business and Computer Science at SBU in Bolivar, MO where he also served as the Assistant to the President for Strategic Planning, Dean of Adult and Off-Campus Programs, Associate Provost, and was a tenured full professor of business (1999-2008). He previously served on the faculty of the business school at Southeastern (1985-1999), where he also served as Chair of the Business Information Management Department (1995-1999), Interim Chair of the Management and Marketing Department (1992-1994), Director of the Small Business Institute (1990-1997), and held the rank of Associate Professor, tenured.

Whitlock serves on the Board of Directors for First United Bank, as well as a member of their Strategic Planning Committee, and People and Culture Committee.

He served many years as a Senior Research Fellow with the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission. He has authored and co-edited four books related to business, including an Introduction to Business text, "Opportunity: Introducing Business and Free Enterprise." He currently serves on the Board of Governors for Maranatha College in Ghana, West Africa. He enjoys traveling, working, and speaking internationally, having visited 44 countries.

In which online degree program(s) do you teach?
- MBA, BBA Management and BBA Marketing
Why did you start teaching?
Teaching is a calling. My purpose in life is to assist others in discovering and preparing for their life calling and purpose.
What's the best advice that you have ever received?
Discover where your interests, passions, and talents meet the needs of others, and you will know your purpose in life. Your job or career is not what will bring meaning to your life, but knowing your purpose will. Your career and job may change, but these are only the platforms from which you carry out your life calling.
What's the best advice that you could give your students?
Discover where your interests, passions, and talents meet
the needs of others, and you will know your purpose in life. Your job or career
is not what will bring meaning to your life, but knowing your purpose will.
Your career and job may change, but these are only the platforms from which you
carry out your life calling.
What is the one book you think everyone should read?
You’re asking a bi-vocational Pastor. The Bible.
What qualities make someone particularly successful in the profession in which you teach?
Humility and perseverance, and a commitment to lifelong learning.
What do you think is the biggest challenge that people in the profession face today?
Online learning will continue to evolve as new technologies develop, and as new delivery methods are made available. Students will continue to seek out these and other novel means of attaining new knowledge and gathering credentials to advance in their careers. While there may always be niche markets for on campus, residential learning experiences, the reality is that lifelong learning and education--both formal and informal--will be profoundly influenced through technological advances made in online delivery of education.

Learn more about Dr. Whitlock’s Publications and Background

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Dr. David W. Whitlock

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