Dr. Sean Valentine, Professor and Chair in the Middleton School of Entrepreneurship & Management, research presented at the 67th Western Academy of Management Conference

Research Highlight: Dr. Sean Valentine, Professor and Chair in the Middleton School of Entrepreneurship & Management, research presented at the 67th Western Academy of Management Conference.

Conference:67th Western Academy of Management Conference, Santa Fe, New Mexico, March 11-14, 2026
Title: “The Journey from Egocentric Gravitas to Beneficial Action: Beyond Nugatory Accomplishments, Meretricious Metrics, and Aspiring to ‘A’ Hits”
Authors: Robert Giacalone (Texas State University) and Sean Valentine (University of North Dakota) – presented by Giacalone

Abstract:
Academic institutions often engage in a gravitas that promotes the self-interests of faculty and administrators and furthers university reputations through the collection of meretricious measures. While these actions may provide some indication of educational quality, they paradoxically can do little to improve the well-being of the stakeholders and students that academic institutions serve. What is needed is a new mindset that prepares students to adopt the values and skills that will make them successful in the workplace. Using beneficial action theory, we propose that new metrics should be used to evaluate the impact that universities have on their stakeholders, something we refer to as academic transformational impact. Measures of academic transformational impact should assess the degree to which academic institutions enhance the well-being of stakeholders, rather than measuring institutional accomplishments that serve the self-interests and egos of academics. Such an approach, particularly efforts that enhance students’ well-being, will provide those in higher education with a better snapshot of their abilities to benefit the individuals and communities they are supposed to serve.