Freeman and Darden Highlighted at the World’s Premier Management Conference

University of Virginia Darden School of Business Professor R. Edward Freeman has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Management and was formally inducted at the Academy’s annual conference in Orlando, Florida, on 11 August 2013. Freeman, University Professor and Elis and Signe Olsson Professor of Business Administration, is best known for his groundbreaking work on stakeholder management and business ethics.

Freeman joins Darden Professor Ming-Jer Chen as an Academy Fellow, a rare honor bestowed only once a year within the organization’s more than 19,000 members. With only about 180 fellows, or less than one percent of the Academy’s membership, the Fellows Group comprises scholars who have made a significant contribution to the science and practice of management.

“This is a well-deserved recognition for a preeminent scholar. Ed is known worldwide for his pioneering work in business ethics,” said Chen, who finished his term as President of the Academy. “He is a true Renaissance scholar whose research has shaped stakeholder management and other fields. No less, he is an inspiring and revered educator who has stimulated the minds and touched the hearts of countless students, colleagues and management professionals.”

Freeman also received the Academy of Management’s Distinguished Educator Award. The award recognizes long-term excellence in outstanding teaching in the classroom, fostering pedagogical innovations and mentoring of students. The committee recognized his articulation of stakeholder theory and ethics, which has had sustained impact on business and business education. His work in mentoring, from MBA students to executive cohorts, was acknowledged as being exceptional. Additionally, the Academy commended Freeman for continued innovation in education, such as his massive open online course (MOOC), “New Models of Business in Society.”

The 73rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management took place 9-13 August in Lake Buena Vista (Orlando), Florida, with the theme of “Capitalism in Question.” As one of the largest academic conferences in the world, each year it attracts more than 10,000 participants.