What is your educational background?
BS Psychology ACU
MSIA Purdue
PhD Oklahoma State
Dr. Mark Phillips
What is your work background?
2 years industry (quality engineer), 10 years full-time ministry
What do you teach at ACU?
Management, General Business, Marketing
What committees/other duties do you have at ACU aside from teaching?
Department Chair of Management Sciences, Sponsor of American Marketing Association
What drew you to teaching? Why did you want to work with students?
As long as I can remember I have loved learning…and sharing what I learn with others. In my previous jobs I did lots of things but I always kept coming back to the parts that related to teaching others, which I enjoyed the most.
What’s the best part of working with students?
Just being around them. This is one of the most awesome phases of life and I love getting to experience it with them.
Have you ever given up any big opportunities to keep working with students?
Several years ago I had to choose between becoming a fashion model, an NBA Center, and a professor. Professor was my second choice, so I went with that.
Outside of teaching, what passions and hobbies do you have?
My wife Laura and I love to ride our bikes, which we do regularly when the temperature is above 60 and the wind is below 10. I’m also in the middle of remodeling a house.
Mark and Laura repping the purple and white
Tell me about a project or accomplishment that you consider to be the most significant in your career.
Several years ago President Schubert asked me to lead a year-long task-force to assess the education landscape and figure out where ACU fits. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done, but also one of the most rewarding.
Do you do any charity or non-profit work?
Most of my outside time is invested at church, where I frequently teach classes and occasionally preach.
If you could have a superpower, what would it be and why?
To have the powerful hair of Sampson.
What is something that students might be surprised to find out about you?
For my 50th birthday I got a tattoo. I’m still deciding what to do for my 60th.
What would you really want students and alums to know about you?
That beyond the stuff we do in class, which I really enjoy and try to make good, I genuinely care about them, their futures, and their lives. I think our classes are important, but there are many, many things that have longer-lasting impact and I hope they find those while at ACU.