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Posted: 12/10/09

TAMIU Graduation Features Two Ph.D. Graduates

 

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This Saturday’s Fall Commencement Exercises at Texas A&M International University will see two new Ph.D. recipients earn their degrees.

The two, Carroll Howard Griffin and Paul Jonathan Komiak, will earn doctoral degrees in International Business from the A. R. Sanchez Jr. School of Business.

Griffin, of Valdosta, Ga., earned his undergraduate degree from Valdosta State University in 1994 with degrees in both Economics and Spanish, and then taught English as a Second Language in Guadalajara, México. He pursued his Master of International Business Studies degree from the University of South Carolina, completing a degree internship in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a multinational company.

After working for several companies as a financial analyst, he taught as an adjunct at a small college in Miami, FL and later in San Antonio. He then realized that the career of university professor was his calling and that TAMIU’s Ph.D. in International Business Administration was the right program for him.

He began the degree in the Fall of 2005 and chose the Finance concentration because the combination of International Business and Finance best suited his personal and professional interests. He feels that the bi-pillar nature of the program is one of its greatest strengths.

His dissertation topic was "Central Bank Independence- Measuring its Effectiveness during Ordinary and Extraordinary Times: Evidence from Selected Developing and Developed Countries."

His Committee members were Dr. Jacky So, chair, and Drs. William Gruben, Haibo Wang and Young Jun Kim.

Dr. Griffin is currently an assistant professor of Finance at Fontbonne University, a private institution located in a suburb of St. Louis, Mo. His research interests include emerging markets, investments and international entrepreneurship. His hobbies include reading, creative writing and travel.

Dr. Paul Jonathan Komiak will also graduate, but will not attend ceremonies. Dr. Komiak defended his dissertation, “How International are Multinational Corporations? Theory and Evidence from Corporate Governance in the World’s Largest Corporations” in November.

His Committee members were Dr. Tagi Sagafi-nejad, chair, and Drs. Leonel Prieto, Milton Mayfield, and Jorge Brusa.

A native of Chicago, Komiak earned his MBA degree from the University of Chicago. His B.A. in Business/Economics was also received at the University of Chicago. After several years of work in industry, he applied to and was admitted to the A. R. Sanchez School Ph.D. program in the Fall of 2005.

Dr. Komiak is currently an assistant professor at Memorial University in Newfoundland, Canada, where he recently received a C$10,000 award from the Canadian Institute of Chartered Business Valuators.

For additional information on the A. R. Sanchez School of Business, contact Maria I. López, graduate admissions counselor, at 956.326-2485 or e-mail lopez@tamiu.edu Information is also available online at tamiu.edu/ssb/prospective


Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at prmis@tamiu.edu