Molly Rapert, a distinguished marketing professor at the University of Arkansas, has been awarded the prestigious Walmart Professorship in Retailing at the Sam M. Walton College of Business.

This endowed professorship was established in 1973 by Sam and Helen Walton to recognize the highest academic and intellectual achievements in retail.

Rapert expressed her gratitude and excitement for this new role, saying, “I am deeply honored to be awarded the Walmart Lectureship. This position allows me to further deepen my commitment to student development and foster stronger connections between our college and the retail industry. I value my relationships with students and aim to increase classroom engagement while expanding internship and career opportunities.”

One way Rapert achieves this is by using innovative teaching methods. She has established a retail advisory board and conducts comprehensive digital and store walkthroughs with her students and executives. This commitment to her students’ success and the advancement of marketing education sets her courses apart and makes Rapert an ideal recipient of the Walmart Retail Lectureship.

AN ACADEMIC INSPIRATION

Rapert has been a pillar of the Walton College faculty for more than 30 years, making exceptional contributions to the marketing program as a professor and director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness. She has also been a visiting professor at Cimba for 24 years and teaches summers in Paderno del Grappa, Italy.

Rapert’s research focuses on the impact of prosocial dispositions on consumer decisions, the competitive advantages companies gain through sustainability initiatives and cause-related marketing. Her acclaimed academic work has been published in prestigious journals such as Journal of Business ResearchThe Journal of the Global Academy of Marketing Science and the Journal for Management Issues.

“This prestigious faculty position was made possible by a visionary gift from Sam and Helen Walton,” said Gary Peters, Senior Associate Dean of Walton College. “The recipient is nominated for overall excellence, teaching ability, and intellectual leadership in the retail industry. Dr. Rapert embodies these qualities, and her contributions and ability to influence students are well known among our alumni. Her tireless dedication over the years has been instrumental in making our college the nationally recognized top business school it is today.”

The walk that started it all

Rapert’s academic journey is unique. After accompanying her brother on a campus tour in 1978, she became fascinated by the names engraved on the Senior Walk. The sheer number of people from all walks of life who shared this shared experience of studying at the U of A left a lasting impression on Rapert. She earned her bachelor’s and MBA from Walton College and her Ph.D. from the University of Memphis. Rapert’s love for the university is evident by the length of her tenure and the fact that three of her four children also graduated from Walton College.

Her nearly 34-year career has been recognized with numerous nominations and awards, including the Marketing Management Association’s Top-in-Nation Marketing Faculty Award in 2010. She is one of only two faculty members in the history of the University of Arkansas to win a university-wide teaching award twice, receiving the Arkansas Alumni Association Teaching Award in 2002 and the Charles and Nadine Baum Faculty Teaching Award in 2012. Most recently, Rapert was named the 2024 Cimba MBA Professor of the Year.

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: Founded in 1926, the Sam M. Walton College of Business is AACSB-accredited and ranks among the top business schools in the country. Walton College is the largest college at the University of Arkansas and serves nearly 9,000 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students. Walton College is recognized under US News & World Reports 2023 Best Business Schools, and its Bachelor of Supply Chain Management program was ranked No. 1 in North America by Gartner. The college’s Master of Business Administration program was also ranked No. 11 for best return on investment by Gartner. The Wall Street Journal. The Princeton Review ranked the college’s graduate entrepreneurship program as one of the best in the country for the first time in 2022-23. And in partnership with Global Campus, the U of A’s online business degree program ranked 12th nationally among 214 institutions by US News in 2023.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A offers an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy by imparting new knowledge and skills, fostering entrepreneurship and job development, and promoting discovery through research and creative pursuits while providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation ranks the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest research activity. US News and World Report The U of A is one of the best public universities in the country. Learn how the U of A is working to make the world a better place at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.