The Benefit That is Betty Simkins

By Jim Mitchell

How accomplished is Betty Simkins? You get some idea when you find her curriculum vitae online — all 25 pages of it. Her work ethic comes through clearly when she describes co-writing and co-editing three 600-page textbooks as “social activities.”

Ramesh Sharda, vice dean for graduate programs and research, has known Simkins since she was a graduate student at OSU.

“I’m really proud of the fact that Betty, my one-time MBA student, is now leading the finance department and taking us to new heights. She was a superb student then, and continues to be an outstanding professor and colleague now,” Sharda said.

But Simkins, who’s been the head of finance in the Spears School of Business since January 2017, doesn’t want this profile to be all about her. She’d rather you know that Janice Jadlow was the first female department head in the Spears School of Business and that, as honored as Simkins herself is to have the position, she would have been just as honored to be the third or fourth woman to accept the role by the year 2017.

“We need more women in leadership positions,” she stated.

Simkins also offered some leadership in the development of this profile.

“I would like to include something in this profile readers might really want to read, something that would offer them some real benefit,” she said.

That’s a constant in all of Simkins’ academic works and accomplishments, to offer real benefit. She’s on a mission, OSU’s mission, to improve the lives of people in Oklahoma, the nation and the world — starting with finance students.

“I know how important it is to be prepared for the job market because, prior to being a professor, I worked for Conoco and the Williams Companies, as a chemical engineer and business professional, after getting an engineering degree (University of Arkansas) and an MBA,” said Simkins, who earned her doctorate at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

As if Simkins really needed another reason to care about her school’s success, consider that three of her four children have attended OSU.

“While some classes I teach are quite large, my children serve as a constant reminder for me to see each of our students as individuals with their own talents, goals and personal challenges,” said Simkins, whose son Walt was a finance major. Elder daughter Susan also graduated from OSU, and youngest daughter April will be a junior in the fall. Her older son, Luke, graduated from the University of Oklahoma.

Occasionally, Simkins likes to get the attention of her new students by telling them she’s an “ex-con.” After they’ve had a chance to wonder what kind of criminal they’re dealing with, Simkins explains she’s an ex-CONoco employee.

The point is she constantly draws on her corporate background and her ongoing contacts to ensure finance students get the best that the Spears School of Business has to offer and that the school continues to offer them more options.

“I started teaching energy finance about 20 years ago at OSU and created the course from scratch, putting it together the way I wish it had been taught when I was an MBA student here,” Simkins said.

That practical approach applies to virtually everything she develops. Each of her textbooks has included co-writers who are currently working in the energy industry. Her husband, Russell, a chemical engineer who has two engineering degrees from OSU, co-authored and co-edited her most recent textbook. The same goes for the many research and popular articles she’s published, the journals for which she currently serves as an associate editor (11), co-editor or executive editor. In 2015, she joined counterparts in Germany and Norway to launch the Journal of Commodity Markets.

Since Simkins took charge as department head, new online minors have been introduced and are gaining momentum.

“Our online minor in finance was offered for the first time in the fall of 2017, along with an energy finance minor,” Simkins said. “Advisers tell me both have been popular; students really appreciate the flexibility of the online classes and the fact that they can watch a class as often as they want at any time of the day or night.”

Under Simkins, finance is introducing OSU’s first-ever Student Investment Fund, to give students hands-on investment opportunities. It will start with a class of 25 students and $500,000 this fall semester to emphasize the real-world experience that makes a real difference after graduation.

A Securities Industry Essentials exam course, which helps students land jobs by demonstrating their knowledge to industry professionals, is being launched this fall at OSU, guided by a faculty member with Wall Street experience. The Watson Trading Floor at Spears is sharing space with MBA classes and offering an energy business concentration. A concentration in energy finance has been initiated, and one in investment management is being planned.

“I think we’re off to a pretty good start, and I’ll do my best to ensure that there is no end in sight. We’re going to keep growing and keep offering students more options and more alternatives to better prepare for the working world,” Simkins said.

In addition, the new department head and Williams Companies Chair has proven her excellence in every area of OSU service — teaching, research and outreach. Simkins has earned the Regents Distinguished Teaching Award, the Regents Distinguished Research Award and the Outreach Excellence Award.