Six Hunt Business Faculty Earn Promotion and Tenure

Six faculty members at UTEP’s Woody L. Hunt College of Business earned promotion and/or tenure, marking a milestone in their academic careers.  

Why it matters: Promotion and tenure honor faculty contributions to teaching, research, and service. These milestones underscore the college's commitment to advancing knowledge and preparing students through academic excellence. 

The faculty: 

• Maria Fernanda Garcia, Ph.D. | Professor of Management 
  Garcia’s research explores diversity, ethics, and international HR management, with award-winning work featured in leading journals. She directs UTEP’s Center for Multicultural Management and Ethics and serves in editorial leadership roles for multiple academic publications. 

• Jose R. Bucheli, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Economics 
  Bucheli studies labor, migration, and policy, with work published in Review of Economics and Statistics and Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. He was recognized with the Outstanding Emerging Scholar Award (2020) and has mentored students into careers across academia, government, and industry. 

• Zifeng Feng, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Finance 
  Feng specializes in real estate and corporate finance, with recognition as one of the world’s top 10 real estate scholars (2021–2023). He received the William N. Kinnard Young Scholar Award and serves as Associate Editor of the Journal of Real Estate Portfolio Management. 

• Cynthia Halliday, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Management 
  Halliday’s research focuses on leadership, workplace dynamics, and diversity, with publications in Human Resource Management and Journal of Business and Psychology. She brings global industry experience from Nestlé and other multinational corporations to her teaching and research. 

• Yun Ke, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Accounting 
  Ke earned his Ph.D. in Accounting from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Before joining UTEP, he taught at Brock University in Ontario from 2014 to 2019, bringing international teaching experience and expertise in accounting research and education. 

• Sarah Robertson | Associate Professor of Practice in Accounting 
  Robertson is a Certified Public Accountant with 15+ years of practice in Texas and New Mexico, specializing in taxation, estate planning, and ethics. She teaches taxation and ethics courses at UTEP, preparing students to excel in the accounting profession. 

What they’re saying: 

John Hadjimarcou, Ph.D., Rick and Ginger Francis Dean: "Promotion and tenure represent years of dedication to scholarship, teaching, and service. We are proud of these faculty members for reaching this milestone and grateful for the impact they make on our students. The quality of their work is reflected in the success of our students." 

Celebration: The six faculty were recognized on September 4 during a Newly Promoted and Tenured Faculty Celebration, formally marking their milestones with Hunt Business.