Dear Festschrift Participant:
Welcome to Texas Tech University and the Festschrift honoring James G. (Jerry) Hunt. Festschrift is a German word that means “A Celebration of Writing.” We are pleased that you have joined us to celebrate Jerry’s lifelong contributions to leadership theory and practice.
Jerry is an internationally recognized scholar who has worked tirelessly with his colleagues to advance the study of leadership by conducting groundbreaking research, organizing high profile scholarly conferences, and actively promoting the development of effective leaders. A former editor of the Journal of Management and The Leadership Quarterly, Jerry has served as the author or editor for over 200 book and journal publications. He is a Past President and Fellow of the Southern Management Association, as well as a Fellow of the Academy of Management. He also served as the founding Director of the Institute for Leadership Research. In 1984, Texas Tech University recognized Jerry for his outstanding accomplishments by awarding him a Paul Whitfield Horn Professorship, the highest academic honor bestowed by the university. In recognition of his lifelong contributions to the field of management, Jerry received the inaugural Southern Management Association Sustained Outstanding Service Award in 2003.
We have all been touched in one way or another by Jerry’s many and diverse contributions to the field of leadership. Some of us have been fortunate enough to work directly with Jerry where we benefited from his selfless devotion to the many roles he has so ably filled as a scholar, author, mentor, teacher, editor, reviewer, conference organizer, facilitator, discussant, entrepreneur, administrator, colleague and friend. For others, his influence may be less direct but still significant as he has shaped our thinking about leadership through his extensive writing, editorial guidance, and service. We are indebted to him for being a pioneer of new approaches for thinking about, studying, and practicing leadership. As a leader of leadership scholars, Jerry’s influence extends well beyond academia and present times as we share his insights and wisdom with current and future generations of leaders.
In the true spirit of Jerry’s work, the Festschrift will highlight cutting edge theory, research, and practices that explore the influence of contextual factors on leadership processes. Prominent scholars from across the globe and diverse disciplines have convened to produce original views on the influence of context on leadership. Our goal is to work cooperatively with all attendees to produce a series of innovative and influential papers to be published in a Special Issue of The Leadership Quarterly on Meso-Modeling of Leadership and other scholarly outlets. We can think of no greater tribute to Jerry’s legacy as a scholar, colleague, and friend who changed the way we think about and lead organizations for the better.
Dr. William L. Gardner
Jerry S. Rawls Professor of Leadership Director,
Institute for Leadership Research