Dr. Oneil Harris Honored with Stansell Fellowship

Dr. Oneil Harris

The College of Business recently honored Dr. Oneil Harris with the first Stansell Fellowship, a $1,000 annual award to support faculty research that is named in memory of Dr. Stanley Roger “Buddy” Stansell.

Stansell was a beloved finance professor at ECU. He retired in 2005 after a 17-year career as the Robert Dillard Teer Jr. Distinguished Professor of Business, but he stayed involved with many of his students up until he died on April 15, 2014. His family created an endowment in his memory earlier this year, and both family and friends have made contributions. The Stansell Fellowship is funded by those gifts, with a new award recipient chosen each year.

Patricia Stansell, wife of Dr. Buddy Stansell, says her family is very education-oriented – and she is thrilled that the first fellowship has been awarded in her husband’s name. Her daughter, Dr. Stacy Klein-Gardner, came up with the idea. Education has played an important role in her life, too, as she holds a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Vanderbilt University and currently serves as Director of the Center for STEM Education for Girls at Harpeth Hall, an all-girls private college preparatory school in Nashville, Tenn.

Dr. Stanley “Buddy” Stansell

“Buddy loved research. That was one of his favorite parts of university life,” Patricia Stansell said. “It meant a lot to him that he held the Teer Chair of Research at ECU and could continue his work in the summer. He would be glad to be doing something for other College of Business faculty to help support them and encourage them in their work. This award symbolizes him.”

Harris joined the Department of Finance in 2008, after he spent two years teaching at Florida Atlantic University and earning his PhD in Finance. He also holds an M.S. in Economics and B.S. in Economics from Florida Atlantic University.

Originally from Kingston, Jamaica, Harris has been very productive in his research since joining the College of Business faculty six years ago. His studies have touched upon almost all areas of finance, and he has published a large number of articles in high quality journals. He is currently exploring market microstructure, although his research portfolio covers topics in financial markets, banking, international finance, and corporate finance. He says he enjoys staying involved in every aspect of his research – from the data collection process and methodologies used for hypothesis testing to the writing.

He also enjoys his reputation as a popular instructor, despite teaching challenging classes like Derivatives, and he is frequently elected to serve as Faculty Marshal by graduating students. In addition, he readily volunteers to teach new courses and has done more new course preps than anyone else in the Department of Finance.

“I am gratified whenever my past students inform me that my course materials proved beneficial in their personal and professional lives,” Harris said. “Overall, I think I am well liked and respected among my students because they know that I have a sincere interest in their success. I love to teach, but my heart truly lies in research. I am deeply honored to receive the inaugural Stansell Fellowship.”

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