HCU appoints new Rex G. Baker Professor: 'Dr. Keiffer is an alumnus and has deep commitments to the university'

On Aug. 8, Houston Christian University (HCU) designated Dr. Gregory Keiffer, the school’s executive associate dean and assistant professor of management, as the Rex G. Baker Professor in Management. 

“We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Greggory Keiffer has been named the HCU Rex G. Baker Professor,” HCU President Dr. Robert Sloan said in a press release. “Dr. Keiffer is an alumnus and has deep commitments to the university, which, combined with his excellence in teaching and leading, makes him a perfect match for this professorship named for one of the historic leaders of HCU.” 

Sloan said in the release that Rex G. Baker Professorship in the Dunham College of Business was established in 1977 as a tribute to one of HCU’s founders for “his generosity and Christian commitment” in addition to his service. Per the release, the professorship is one of the school’s top faculty appointments.

“[Baker was] a Christian gentleman, university founder, and trustee whose generous contribution of self and unswerving allegiance to the highest ideals of Christian living and academic achievement that serve to inspire all those generations which benefit from his wisdom and diligent devotion,” a plaque commissioned for the professorship reads, according to the release.

The release said that Keiffer was an undergraduate student at the university when Baker himself sat on its board of trustees. Keiffer said it’s an honor to be bestowed the professorship. “As an alumnus of HCU and of the Archie W. Dunham College of Business, I am honored to serve the Kingdom, HCU, and our students through this appointment,” he said in the release. “The foresight of HCU Trustee John Baugh in establishing the Rex G. Baker Endowed Professorship in Management enables the Dunham College of Business to continue the lecture series and activities supported by the professorship.”

Keiffer’s LinkedIn profile shows that aside from his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from HCU, he earned a doctorate from the University of Texas at Tyler (UTT). He worked nearly 20 years in the corporate world before joining the university in 2017. According to the release, Keiffer will hold the professorship through May 31, 2024.