Dr. Rebecca VanMeter, known affectionately as Dr. V, has been a valued member of Ball State University’s marketing faculty since 2014, where she began as an assistant professor and earned her promotion to Associate Professor in 2021. She brings energy and expertise to a wide range of courses across both undergraduate and graduate programs. Undergraduates can find her leading classes like Marketing Research & Analytics, Principles of Marketing, Social Media Marketing, and IMC. On the graduate side, she plays a key role in BSU’s highly regarded MBA program, which is consistently ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Online Programs.” In the MBA curriculum, Dr. V. teaches Marketing Management (MBA 671), CRM Online (MKG 630), and Introduction to Healthcare Administration (MBA 640). In 2017, she pioneered an MBA course in Afghanistan at Kabul University, co-teaching with a professor on ground. In 2024, she ventured abroad, co-leading a six credit “Exploring the Iconic Industries of Italy Through the Lens of Marketing and Management”—a testament to her dedication to global learning.
Dr. V's research spans several dynamic areas including social media, consumer behavior, servant leadership, ethics, advertising, and branding. Her work is widely cited, with articles appearing in top-tier journals such as the Journal of Interactive Marketing, Journal of Product and Brand Management, Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Journal of Business Ethics, and many more. A passionate contributor to the academic community, she actively engages with the Society for Marketing Advances in a variety of roles. In 2020, she served as a guest editor for MER and JMTP, while also lending her expertise as a member of several editorial review boards and as an ad-hoc reviewer for numerous journals. You can often find Dr. V. presenting her work at various conferences, continuing to push the boundaries of the field of marketing.
Her academic journey began with a business administration degree—earned while playing collegiate volleyball—at the University of Pikeville. She then completed her MBA at the University of Kentucky (remaining a die-hard UK fan) and went on to receive her Ph.D. in Marketing, with a minor in statistics, from the University of Texas at Arlington.
A word from Dr. V herself: “Being a college professor is the most rewarding career I can imagine. I love building personal connections with my students, challenging them to see the world through a marketing lens, and helping them reach their fullest potential. I won’t say I’m an ‘easy’ professor, but if you leave my class having truly learned something, then I’ve done my job.”
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