Ph.D. Organization and Management, Capella University, 2012
MBA Marketing and Human Resource Management, Walden University, 2006
M.Ed. Higher Education, University of Arkansas, 2000
B.M. Music Education, University of Arkansas, 1998
Dr. Aikens’ research interest areas are LMX (leader-member exchange) leadership, entrepreneurship, and the scholarship of teaching. He has presented his work at the Academy of Management, the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Conference, and the Midwest Academy of Management.
Dr. Aikens’ goal is to help students become productive and actively engaged organizational citizens. As a result, his teaching philosophy is based on four aspects that are incorporated into the classes he teaches: 1) a clear focus on course learning objectives, 2) creating a positive and engaging classroom culture that encourages a two-way learning process between the teacher and student, 3) emphasizing both technical knowledge and individual character development, and 4) encouraging students to become lifelong learners.