Sheth

Dr. Jagdish N. Sheth, internationally known for his scholarly contributions in consumer behavior, relationship marketing, competitive strategy and geopolitical analysis, will serve as keynote speaker at Thiel College’s commencement at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 5.

Sheth, the Charles H. Kellstadt Professor of Marketing in the Goizueta Business School at Emory University, and two alumni James W. Ummer ’67 and Firdaus Kharas ’78 will be awarded honorary degrees during the ceremony.

Sheth is highly sought as a keynote speaker at many industry, academic and public forums. He has worked for numerous industries and companies in the United States, Europe and Asia, both as an advisor and as a seminar leader.  His clients include AT&T, BellSouth, Cox Communications, Delta, Ernst & Young, Ford, GE, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Nortel, Pillsbury, Sprint, Square D, 3M, Whirlpool, Wipro and many more.  He has offered hundreds of presentations in at least 20 countries.

Sheth is frequently quoted and interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Fortune, Financial Times, Economic Times and radio shows and television networks such as CNN, CNBC (India) and BBC.  He is also on the board of directors of several public companies including Cryo Cell International (NASDAQ), Wipro Limited (NYSE) and Shasun Chemicals.

A prolific author, in 2000 Sheth and Andrew Sobel published a best seller, Clients for Life.  His book, The Rule of Three, coauthored with Dr. Rajendra Sisodia, altered the current notions on competition in business.  It was published in 2002 and has been translated into German, Italian, Polish, Japanese and Chinese.  It was the subject of a seven-part television series by CNBC (India) and was a finalist for the 2004 Best Marketing Book Award from the American Marketing Association.  His most recently published book, Tectonic Shift:  The Geoeconomic Realignment of Globalizing Markets was published in 2006.  His latest work, The Self-Destructive Habits of Good Companies:…and How to Break Them, will be published this May.

Sheth will receive an honorary doctor of humane letters degree.

Ummer

Ummer, a partner with Rothman Gordon, P.C., in Pittsburgh, began his career as a trust officer.  He left the banking industry in the mid-1970s, and entered the world of tax, estate and business law.  He was a partner with Buchanan Ingersoll, P.C., and Reed Smith, LLP, before joining Rothman Gordon in 2003 as a partner in the business and finance group. He is also a registered investment advisor who focuses on private equity and merchant banking advisory engagements. 

Ummer earned his bachelor of arts degree in psychology and history from Thiel College in 1967, and followed with graduate work at Michigan State University.  He received his juris doctorate from Duke University School of Law in 1972, with a concentration on trust/estate, real property and tax law. 

Ummer will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree.

Kharas, a resident of Ottawa, Canada, and former resident of Greenville, Pa., is a world renowned director and producer of animation, film and television media whose creations have been seen by more than one billion people in more than 150 countries.  Kharas creates media specifically to educate and entertain across cultural barriers.  His media aims to positively influence audiences’ knowledge,

Kharas

attitudes and behavior, especially amongst children and young adults.   He has received several awards, including the United Nations (UN) Peace Medal, the medal of the World Federation of UN Associations and the ReelWorld Trailblazer award. His work has garnered 60 international awards in just the last two years, including the CINE Golden Eagle, the Telly Award, the Gold World Medal in New York, the Platinum REMI Award, the Chris Award, the Hugo in Chicago, the Golden Reel and First Prize at the Chicago International Children’s Festival.

Kharas was born in India and came to Greenville as a Rotary International exchange student at 17 attending Commodore Perry High School in Hadley.  He is a 1978 graduate of Thiel College and holds a master of arts degree in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Kharas will receive an honorary doctor of humanities degree.