Sam Cousley Announces His Retirement

A native of Greenville, Cousley attended Mississippi State University for undergraduate studies, where he was enrolled in the Army ROTC program. He entered the Army immediately, serving one of those years in the Vietnam War.

“My military commitment was for two years,” Cousley said. “As an ROTC graduate, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army.

“My Army experiences were demanding and rewarding. I worked hard, and I had exciting opportunities to grow personally. I gained leadership skills in a risky combat environment.” 

Shortly after he was discharged from the Army, he met his wife of almost 55 years, Trish Vaughan, from Grenada. Soon thereafter, he returned to Starkville to begin the MBA program at Mississippi State in 1969. He completed the program in early August 1970, and two weeks later, he and Trish tied the knot.

They enjoyed a three-day honeymoon in Hot Springs, Arkansas, then headed to Hattiesburg for Cousley to begin his teaching career at USM. 

“I enjoyed teaching, and while at Southern, I set a goal of becoming a professor,” he said. “That led me to the doctoral program at Louisiana Tech.”

Cousley completed the doctoral program in Ruston, and he and Trish headed to Jonesboro, Arkansas, in 1972, where Cousley took a position as an assistant professor at Arkansas State University. It was also the space where a second career opportunity blossomed.

“After becoming a professor and teaching at Arkansas State for almost 12 years, I became a little uneasy about teaching classes in marketing because I had almost no marketing experience,” he said. “About this time, I was given an opportunity to serve as a consultant to an organization in the radio industry.

“This experience led to an offer to serve as the general manager of a group of radio stations, which led me to a 16-year career in the radio business and brought us to Oxford in 1985.”

In 1999, Cousley arrived at the Ole Miss business school as a seasoned professor and marketer. His more than 15 years of teaching, coupled with his business experience, made him a model educator. He has taught over 12 different courses in his 26-year span at Ole Miss and mastered the art of teaching the most dreaded course of many business students: Statistics.

“When I first started teaching statistics, I more or less memorized how to work the problems,” he said. “I didn’t really understand the reasoning and logic behind the methods. Over time, I gradually began to understand the theory, and I developed an ability to explain the concepts in terms that most people can understand.”

His methodical manner and dedication to education have remained one of the many components of his success in the college classroom.

“I have enjoyed being Sam Cousley’s student while completing my MBA at Ole Miss,” said Lucy Case, an MBA candidate from Oxford. “I was nervous about taking his course, but Professor Cousley made the material approachable and clear. 

“His patience, humor and ability to break down complex topics made his class (Predictive Modeling and Analytics) a great experience. I’m truly grateful to have learned from him and will always remember his class with appreciation.”

Over the past few years, Cousley has focused on courses in marketing principles, predictive modeling and analytics. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cousley found a way to improve his teaching while many other instructors struggled. 

He mastered using the “R platform,” and “he made us all look bad,” said Barry Babin, chair of the Department of Marketing, who came to Ole Miss in 2018 at Cousley’s encouragement. (Cousley chaired the search committee.)

“During the pandemic, when we are all forced into remote teaching, Sam relied on his many years of experience in the radio business,” Babin said. “He created a basement production studio where he created professional video lectures voiced over with a real ‘radio voice.’

“Sam was instrumental in recruiting me to Ole Miss,” Babin continued. “His down-to-earth manner created a sense of comfort with the work culture here. That nature made it easy for us to develop a strong friendship that has been an asset to me professionally and personally.”

Cousley’s commitment to his work has also spilled into an equally beneficial commitment to the Oxford community. He and his wife have been active members of Oxford-University United Methodist Church since they arrived in Oxford. Cousley has led the council on ministries and taught an adult Sunday school class for over 30 years.

An equal commitment has been his involvement in the local chapter of Rotary International. “Service Above Self” is the official motto of the organization, where Cousley has served as president and board member.

“Dr. Cousley has had an incredible impact on thousands of students over his career,” said Ken Cyree, dean of the School of Business Administration. “He has been a stalwart supporter of the business school and served on numerous committees and in many different ways to help us perform our tasks to educate our students. 

“He will be greatly missed and has been a solid contributor (to) the school for decades. He has embodied the caring attitude that is a hallmark of our culture and that we take pride in to create outstanding educational opportunities for our students and the ability for them to engage in meaningful careers when they graduate.”

Cousley has influenced thousands of students, who are now leaders in business, government, law and education. He said he is also thankful for the business school’s influence on him.

“The business school is great,” Cousley said. “I have made many friends over the years. It’s also the unique blend of the university and Oxford. I am not sure there is anywhere else in the world that offers a better opportunity to serve others and enjoy life. I hit the jackpot of life when I ended up at Ole Miss.”