Department of Management Information Systems

Clayton Looney

Poe Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow

Contact

Office
GBB 321
Phone
243-2249
Email
clayton.looney@umontana.edu
Office Hours

By appointment via Zoom

Personal Summary

Clayton A. Looney, Ph.D. is the Poe Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow and Professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) in the College of Business (CoB) at the University of Montana (UM). In 1988, he received a bachelor of science in computer science from Washington State University and in 2003, a Ph.D. in MIS. Prior to earning a terminal degree, he accumulated 10+ years’ industry experience, primarily as an information systems consultant and CEO of dot.com start-up. Prior to joining UM’s MIS department in 2006, he served as an assistant professor at University of Virginia’s McIntire School of Commerce.

Based on his scholarly contributions to the field of decision-making psychology and behavior, in 2020, the American Psychological Association (APA) granted Professor Looney membership. During the same year, he earned CoB's prestigious Researcher of the Year award and was honored as the Poe Family Distinguished Faculty Fellow. Advancing the boundaries of knowledge in human-computer interaction, cognitive biases, and behavioral economics, Professor Looney's inter-disciplinary research can be found in high-impact, premier scientific journals such as Decision, Decision Sciences, Group Dynamics: Theory, Research and Practice, Journal of Management Information Systems, Information Systems Journal, Management Science, and Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. In addition, Professor Looney has served as Associate Editor at Decision Sciences and as an Editorial Board Member at the American Business Journal

Under his leadership as Chair of the MIS department from 2017 to 2020, the STEM-designated undergraduate MIS program achieved a #2 ranking amongst public schools in the West, according to a highly-respected, worldwide consulting firm. Despite directly competing with larger, well-funded programs of its kind, the program continues to be widely considered as a premier placement site. Boasting a 94% placement rate, the program produces some of the highest paid graduates on campus, with local, regional, national, and international placements at prestigious firms such as Cognizant Technologies, Fast Enterprises, KPMG, Microsoft, Moss Adams, the National Security Administration (NSA), PwC, and the Washington Corporation. The program develops future leaders. In fact, the MIS student group has won 10 international awards for excellence from the Association of Information Systems (AIS), including professional development, community service, fundraising, communications, and most recently, the prestigious Distinguished Student Chapter Award. Strongly committed to diversity, women represent more than 1/3 of MIS majors, far outdistancing the 6.7% national average for STEM degree graduates.

Beyond the department, Professor Looney continues to champion interdisciplinary collaborations, such as the Master of Science in Business Analytics, in which he served as Director, as well as certificate programs in cybersecurity, data analytics, digital marketing, and accounting information systems. Professor Looney has received several teaching awards, signifying his dedication to delivering exceptional and innovative learning experiences. He currently teaches foundational MIS courses at undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as Electronic Commerce and Systems Analysis & Design in the undergraduate MIS program.