Faculty & Staff
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Roland J. Kushner e-mail: rkushner@muhlenberg.edu Associate Professor - Business B.A., Carleton University; M.B.A., Ph.D., Lehigh University |
Publications
Business Research Links
Arts Administration Research Links
Roland J. Kushner has a B.A. in History (1981) from Carleton University
in Ottawa, Canada, and M.B.A. (1983) and Ph.D. (1994) degrees from
Lehigh University in Bethlehem, PA. He joined the Muhlenberg faculty in
2006, and was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2012.
He teaches courses in management, small business management, arts
administration, nonprofit management, as well as the capstone strategic
management course in the business program.
From 1984 to 1987, Dr. Kushner was the first Managing Director of
Bethlehem Musikfest and was responsible for artistic programming and
festival operations. From 1987 to 1990, he was Director of Development
for Bach Choir of Bethlehem.
From 1992 through 1999, he was Assistant Professor of Economics and
Business at Lafayette College in Easton, PA.
From 1999 until 2006, he led Kushner Management Advisory Services, a
consulting company specializing in strategic management and policy
analysis challenges facing nonprofit organizations. His clients included
American Red Cross (International Services), RAND, Urban Institute, Pew
Charitable Trusts, Opera America, Americans for the Arts, and Chorus
America.
While consulting, he stayed active as an educator, teaching economics,
business management, and nonprofit management at Moravian College,
Lehigh University, Drexel University, and Ohio State University.
Before joining the Muhlenberg faculty in 2006, Dr. Kushner was Interim
Executive Director of WDIY-FM, the National Public Radio affiliate in
the Lehigh Valley.
Dr. Kushner's research focuses on two main areas: strategic management
and organizational performance challenges in nonprofit organizations;
and the economics of cultural industries. His work has been published in
Journal of Cultural Economics, Nonprofit Management & Leadership,
International Journal of Arts Management, Journal of Arts Management,
Law & Society, and Nonprofit & Voluntary Sector Quarterly.
In 2009, he published the Instructor's Manual for Arthur C. Brooks'
textbook "Social Entrepreneurship."
In 2010, he and co-author Randy Cohen of Americans for the Arts published “National Arts Index 2009. An Annual Measure of the Vitality of Arts and Culture in the United States." Followup National Arts Index reports were also published in 2011 and 2012. In 2011 and 2012, he collaborated with Americans for the Arts on the Local Arts Index project, which measures cultural activity at the local level. National and Local Arts index data are available at www.artsindexusa.org. Every year since 2006, he has collaborated with Chorus America to produce the annual Choral Operations Survey Report on financial and operational activity in the choral music field.
Dr. Kushner lives in Bethlehem with his wife Barbara. When not teaching and researching, he is a performing songwriter who appears occasionally
in the Lehigh Valley. He is an active volunteer with United Way of the
Greater Lehigh Valley, and is Board Secretary of The Sing Out Corporation.