Sharon Garrison
Dr. Sharon Garrison Sharon Garrison faculty adviser for finance minors died on Feb. 14 of injuries she sustained after being struck by a vehicle the night before. Sharon was a truly exceptional person and a great colleague said Rick Sias Department Head. Losing Sharon is huge for the department and the University but most of all the students. During her 17 years with the UA Sharon taught the introductory finance course to thousands of students. After retiring in spring 2014 she stayed involved as the driving force behind development of the finance minor leading and teaching three classes in that program. She was also an expert in online learning and developed the website studyfinance.com featured on Money 101 as a top resource for finance majors. Liz Kuehn central investment manager with Intel Corporation and a 2002 finance graduate met Professor Garrison 15 years ago. Professor Garrison always inspired me to aim higher. She encouraged me to take the prestigious portfolio management course guided me in landing an internship at Goldman Sachs and sat next to me as I graduated as the Outstanding Senior for the Eller College in December 2002 Kuehn said. When I think back I'm reminded of her constant positive attitude and her loyalty to her students. Her legacy lives on in the thousands of students whose lives she touched. Before joining the UA Sharon was a full professor at East Tennessee State University and Florida Gulf Coast University. At the latter she also served as chair of the finance department and MBA director. She also served as an associate professor at East Tennessee State and an assistant professor at North Texas State. She earned her undergraduate degree in marketing at Texas A&M University in 1967 began her career working in accounting ran her own wholesale auto parts firm and then started teaching at Texas Christian University. She completed her MBA in 1981 and her Ph.D. in 1983 both with University of Texas at Arlington. The Financial Management Association and the Investment Club have established a memorial fund in Sharon's name to support scholarships for finance majors.