Contact
242 Mervis Hall
ptharper@katz.pitt.edu
412-624-6087
Profile
In his associate dean role, Dr. Paul T. Harper leads our schoolwide initiatives aimed at fostering an academic community that is welcoming to all, community engagement that increases our impact and supports student learning, and leveraging global opportunities that align with the strategic priorities of Pitt Business 2030.
Dr. Harper is Clinical Associate Professor of Business Administration at the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School of Business, where he is a member of the Organizations and Entrepreneurship faculty group. Harper’s principal activities at Katz include research, course development, and program development in the areas of business ethics, entrepreneurship, and strategic management. In addition to earning his PhD and MBA from the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia, Paul received a BA from Fisk University and a MA from the Divinity School at the University of Chicago.
Dr. Harper has developed a research agenda around racial justice where he is interested in understanding the social policies and economic forces that continue to challenge the flourishing of US domestic minority professionals and entrepreneurs. His most recent research publication, “The symbolic imagination: Plato and contemporary business ethics,” explored the connection between the moral imagination and abuses of power by political and economic elites. His current research concerns the value of corporate symbolic speech in response to demands of the Black Lives Matter social movement. Harper is the Lead Guest Editor of a special issue of the Journal of Business Ethics devoted to “Racial Justice and Business Ethics.” He is also the co-chair of the Racial Justice Committee in the Social Issues in Management Division of the Academy of Management.
In addition to his work on race, Dr. Harper has become widely known throughout the US and abroad for his work in building partnerships with burgeoning Israeli businesses and other technologically progressive countries through academic and professional engagement. Harper’s Israel programming, for example, includes an MBA-level course, case development, and MBA consulting projects. Professor Harper’s Israel program has received recognition by the Consulate General of Israel in New York and has been covered by regional and national news outlets, such as Bloomberg Businessweek.
Awards and Honors
- Society for Business Ethics: Founders Award for Emerging Scholar in Business Ethics
Professional Service and Activities
- Co-Chair: Racial Justice Committee, SIM Division, Academy of Management
Degrees
- PhD, Darden, University of Virginia
- MBA, Darden, University of Virginia
- MA, Divinity, University of Chicago
- BA, Fisk University
Recent Publications
Harper, P.T. The symbolic imagination: Plato and contemporary business ethics. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04244-2
Academic Area
Organizations and Entrepreneurship
Personal Interests
Paul is a Life Member of Omega Psi Phi, Fraternity Inc. and is an active member of the Iota Phi Chapter.
