Atems Named Dean of Clarkson’s Reh School of Business and Elmer Gates ’50 Professor of Innovative Business Culture

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September 3, 2024

Bebonchu Atems has been named Dean of the David D. Reh School of Business at Clarkson University and Elmer Gates '50 Professor of Innovative Business Culture, effective July 1, 2024.

Atems had been serving as the interim Dean of the Reh School since July 2023. During this time, Atems achieved significant milestones in both strategic and operational areas. He led efforts to develop a comprehensive strategic framework for the School. He also led curriculum development initiatives to innovate and expand the School's graduate programs, ultimately resulting in the creation of new offerings.

Atems also led the successful effort to secure STEM-designation for multiple undergraduate and graduate programs, aligning them with the university's STEM core. His focus on operational efficiency and strategic growth led to substantial enrollment growth across all of the School's programs. His leadership has significantly contributed to the School's shift toward a culture of data-informed decision-making and fostering a more inclusive environment.

"Dean Atems has been instrumental in guiding the success of the Reh School of Business and its STEM-designated degree programs" said Acting President and Trustee David Heacock. "We are excited for the future of the School and its students under his leadership."

"I am honored to have the opportunity to continue leading the Reh School of Business as Dean," Atems said. "Over the past year, we have made tremendous strides in advancing our strategic goals, fostering innovation in our programs, and aligning our offerings with the university's STEM core. I look forward to building on this momentum and working collaboratively with our dedicated faculty, staff, and students to further elevate the Reh School's impact and reputation."

Atems joined the David D. Reh School of Business in 2011 after receiving his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park, and his Master of Arts and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Kansas State University.

He is an economist with research interests in macroeconomics, time-series econometrics, and energy economics. Much of his research examines how incorporating nonlinearities and allowing for asymmetries in time-series models enhances current understanding of the macroeconomic effects of shocks to renewable and nonrenewable energy prices, fiscal policy, and financial markets. Another aspect of his research investigates how explicitly accounting for spatial dependence and heterogeneity in dynamic panel data models affects regional economic growth. Recently, his research has extended empirical macroeconomic models to examine issues related to income inequality, crime, entrepreneurship, transportation, and health.

Atems is a renowned and accomplished scholar, having presented his research at numerous national and international academic conferences, and published more than 30 articles in such professional journals as The Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Macroeconomic Dynamics, Health Economics, Economic Inquiry, Regional Science and Urban Economics, Economics Letters, and The Journal of Regional Science. He is widely regarded as a leading expert in his field, having reviewed over 40 journal articles for more than 26 academic journals.

In 2020, he was awarded the David D. Reh School of Business Faculty Research Award for excellence in research.

Atems teaches Econometrics at the undergraduate level. He has also taught Principles of Macroeconomics, Principles of Microeconomics, Intermediate Macroeconomics, and Probability and Statistics. At the graduate level, he has taught Applied Economics, Probability and Statistics for Analytics, and Data Mining. He has received several accolades for teaching excellence in the Reh School and universitywide, including the Outstanding New Teacher Award, the Clarkson University Student Association (CUSA) Outstanding Teacher Award, and the Dr. Ralph Janaro Memorial Faculty Award.

At Clarkson, Atems has taken on several leadership and service roles, and has been recognized with numerous awards including the PHALANX Commendable Leadership Award, the PHALANX Commendable Service Award, and the Martin Luther King Jr. Award.