TAMIU’s Dr. Nereu Kock Named Regents Professor

Dr. Nereu Kock, Texas A&M International University (TAMIU) Killam Distinguished Professor and chair of the Division of International Business and Technology Studies, has been named a Regents Professor by The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents.

Dr. Kock was among 15 faculty members and seven agency service, extension or research professionals within the A&M System designated as Regents Professors and Regents Fellows for 2017-2018.

The Board established the Regents Professor Awards program in 1996 and the Regents Fellow Service Awards program in 1998 to recognize employees who have made exemplary contributions to their university or agency and to the people of Texas.

“These outstanding individuals are doing incredible work on behalf of the A&M System and the entire state of Texas,” said A&M System Chancellor John Sharp, “They exemplify the values and commitment to excellence that defines the A&M System and I am grateful for their dedication.”

TAMIU President Dr. Pablo Arenaz said Dr. Kock is a shining example of gifted TAMIU faculty members who conduct outstanding research while making a difference in students’ lives each day.

“We are proud of Dr. Kock as he joins this accomplished rank of System scholars and research professionals,” Dr. Arenaz said, “His innovation in research and teaching as well as energetic community involvement over the years have served as an inspiration to us all. As the University continues to expand and engage in pioneering initiatives, our reliance on the expertise of versatile faculty members like Dr. Kock will become even more prominent.”

Dr. Kock said he feels honored to have been named a Regents Professor.

“This is a great honor, and a great responsibility,” Dr. Kock said, “Since I joined TAMIU in 2003, we have seen tremendous growth in the student population, programs, and prestige. And this is only the beginning, judging from the talented faculty and staff who have been joining us over the years.”

He continued, “ I am very happy to be able to count myself among the Regents Professors at TAMIU in our efforts to motivate and mentor new generations of scholars, whom I am sure will be deeply committed to innovative and impactful teaching as well as community engagement, in addition to the production of research that serves society as a whole.”

A native of Brazil, Dr. Kock’s research has explored biological evolution as an influence on electronic communication and collaboration, and methods for multivariate data analyses. His interest in the former has led to his development of media naturalness theory, which has over 1,400 citations on Google Scholar. His interest in the latter has led to his development of WarpPLS, a nonlinear multivariate data analysis software that has been used in such widely different fields as accounting, epidemiology, exercise physiology, finance, and global environmental change.

As a teacher, Dr. Kock has been essential to the success of TAMIU's Ph.D. program in International Business. Since 2004, he has taught 46 graduate course sections, directed 10 dissertations, and never received anything below a 4.2 out of 5 on student evaluations of his courses.

To date, 239 A&M system faculty members have been recognized with the Regents Professor Award and 142 agency professionals have received the Regents Fellow Service Award. Dr. Kock is the tenth TAMIU faculty member to be named a Regents Professor.

The selection process for the awards begins with a call for nominations from the chancellor. Final nominations are put forth to the chief executive officer of each respective entity. They are then subject to a System-level review consisting of academic vice chancellors and past recipients of the awards. Finally, nominations are forwarded to the chancellor and the board for final approval.

This year’s recipients of the Regents Professor Award are: Dr. Lal K. Almas, West Texas A&M University; Dr. Vaughn M. Bryant, Texas A&M University; Dr. Lisa Campbell, Texas A&M University; Dr. Gerard L. Coté, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station; Dr. Jian Q. Feng, Texas A&M Health Science Center; Dr. Amir M.H. Ibrahim, Texas A&M University, Texas A&M AgriLife; Dr. Syed Hussain A. Jafri, Tarleton State University; Dr. Nereu F. Kock, TAMIU; Dr. Akhtar H. Lodgher, Texas A&M University-San Antonio; Dr. Thomas J. McDonald, Texas A&M Health Science Center; Dr. Lijun Qian, Prairie View A&M University; Dr. Antonietta Quigg, Texas A&M University at Galveston; Dr. Robert L. Smith, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi; Dr. Sang C. Suh, Texas A&M University-Commerce; and Dr. Randall H. Williams, Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

Recipients of the Regents Fellow Service Award are: Dr. Marvin L. Adams, Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station; Dr. David R. Ellis, Texas A&M Transportation Institute; Dr. Don L. Renchie, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; Mr. James B. Rooni, Texas A&M Forest Service; Mr. Edward Schneider, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service; Ms. Rebecca L. Tate, Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service; and Dr. Qingwu Xue, Texas A&M AgriLife Research.

The Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a budget of $4.55 billion. Through a statewide network of 11 universities and seven state agencies, the Texas A&M System educates more than 148,000 students and makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $972 million in FY 2016 and helped drive the state’s economy.

For more information, please contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 326.2180, e-mail prmis@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Sue and Radcliffe Killam Library, room 268. University office hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday-Friday.