Hair’s Half-Million

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Posted on October 25, 2024

Marketing and Communications

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Dr. Joe Hair, one of the most prolific academic researchers in the history of the University of South Alabama, reached a satisfyingly round number this month when his business and marketing articles were cited for the half-millionth time.

The director of the Ph.D. program in the Mitchell College of Business ranks No. 1 in the world among professors cited in marketing, multivariate data analysis and structural equation modeling. He’s also a management consultant and textbook author who describes himself as an entrepreneur always looking for opportunities.

“I basically reinvented myself when I was 62,” said Hair, who’s now 80 years old. “I’ve reinvented myself my entire career. All my success has been based on reinventing myself.”

At South, he recruits nontraditional graduate students with a flexible curriculum that allows them to keep working in business and industry. The Ph.D. program was ranked No. 2 in affordability by TechGuide’s 2024 ratings for business analytics.

“These students are experienced, intelligent and highly motivated,” Hair said. “And they want to reinvent themselves.”

Hair grew up in Orlando, where he worked for his dad’s plumbing business. In the 4th grade, he won an award for selling the most magazines in a school contest. In high school, he taught ballroom dancing and urged students to buy shoes at the store where he worked on weekends.

“Talk about cross-selling,” he jokes.

Hair attended the University of Florida, where he earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. Before coming to South, he taught at Ole Miss, Louisiana State University and Kennesaw State University.

Throughout his academic career, Hair has worked as a marketing consultant. He’s given speeches at conferences and seminars on six continents. COVID slowed his pace for a while, but now he’s back to flying 100,000 miles a year.

Hair still finds time to teach graduate courses each semester.

“Teaching and research go hand in hand,” he said. “I’m constantly updating my books, and I use my students and their feedback to learn what I need to improve upon. It’s like a circular chain. I couldn’t write my books if I didn’t stay in touch with what’s happening, and the way I stay in touch with what’s happening is through my teaching.”

 

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