Walsh University has announced the appointment of Michael. A. Petrochuk, DBA, as Interim Dean of the DeVille School of Business (DSOB) and James Falter, DBA, as Interim MBA Director. Former Dean Raj Javalgi, Ph.D., will be reallocating his very skilled entrepreneurial talents by serving as a Professor of Business and Entrepreneurship, building networks with regional businesses and helping to advance data analytics into Walsh’s campus culture.
As Interim Dean and current Professor of Marketing & Healthcare Management, Dr. Petrochuk will be responsible for the academics and management of the DeVille School of Business and its nine undergraduate majors (including the new eSports, Human Resources Management, Digital Marketing & Analytics, and award-winning Accounting program). Previously, Dr. Petrochuk led the MBA Program, growing it beyond 200 students and garnering numerous awards, including the MBA in Healthcare Management ranking as a “Top 10 Online MBA Program” nationally.
Prior to joining Walsh in 2008, Dr. Petrochuk spent 25 years as a senior healthcare executive in strategy, planning, business development, and marketing research for billion-dollar health systems. He has continued his active link to the healthcare field through active engagement in healthcare management professional organizations and consulting.
Dr. Petrochuk received his Doctorate in Business Administration from Cleveland State University, his Master of Healthcare Administration from Xavier University, and his Master of Divinity from Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary. He has earned post-graduate certificates from Harvard University’s Social Enterprise Institute and Case Western Reserve University.
He is a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and is Board Certified in Healthcare Management, from which he received the Outstanding Healthcare Faculty Member and Junior-Level Regent’s awards. At Walsh University, he was promoted to Full Professor and received the University’s Outstanding Faculty Award in Teaching award in spring of 2017. He is also an affiliated faculty member of Walsh’s Institute for Community Health.
Dr. Petrochuk is a published author in leading healthcare journals and is a frequent presenter at national and international conferences. His current research interests include medical tourism, hospital choice, strategy, patient satisfaction, and population health.
Interim MBA Director Dr. James Falter
Dr. Falter joined the Walsh University community in 2018 as an adjunct professor before his appointment as Associate Professor of Finance in 2019. Among his responsibilities in the DeVille School of Business, Dr. Falter serves as the faculty advisor to the Student Managed Investment Portfolio (SMIP) and is the coordinator of the annual Cleveland CFA Global Investment Research Challenge. Dr. Falter was instrumental in the recent Walsh designation as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute University Affiliation. He previously served as Assistant Professor of Finance at Ashland University and Dean of Stark State College's Business and Information Technology division.
After completing a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Miami University of Ohio, Dr. James Falter began his business career with Cigna Corporation specializing in financial analysis and underwriting group contracts. He then completed his MBA, with a focus in quantitative methods from the University of Toledo and began teaching on an adjunct basis while also becoming a National Accounts Director for Aetna/U.S. Healthcare in the Washington D.C. market.
Dr. Falter has several articles published in annual proceedings of the Academy of Accounting, Finance & Economics, the Institute for Business and Finance Research, the Midwest Finance Association, Southern Finance Association and the Southwest Finance. His research focuses on investor behavior in financial markets, stock market efficiency and financial institutions.
Dr. Falter has significant experience teaching and consulting abroad. In 2009, he became a Fulbright Scholar and lived/taught in Tirana, Albania. Additionally, he taught in Romania and spent a semester teaching/consulting for the American University of Kosovo. Further, Dr. Falter has experience teaching seminars to various international groups (Brazil, Japan and China).
Holding a Doctorate of Business Administration with a concentration in Finance, Dr. Falter has been recognized several times for the quality of his teaching in the areas of investments, financial management and economics. Holding industry designations of Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), he consults and conducts seminars on financial management, investment planning and budgeting. Dr. Falter is a member of the Financial Planning Association as well as the CFA Institute CFA and the CFA Society of Cleveland. He consulted for several regional organizations including the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, the American Lung Association of West Virginia and First National Bank.