May 21, 2003
Contact: Robert Lowery (509-963-1487/fax 509-963-2301/e-mail: loweryr@cwu.edu)
ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Dr. Allen Gulezian, 62, professor
emeritus of business administration at Central Washington University,
died Sunday, May 18, at his home in Ellensburg.
“We deeply appreciate his dedication and contribution to the
growth of the business program here,” Dr. Roy Savoian, dean of the CWU
College of Business, says. “Allen was a key player in the 1970s and
80s for developing content in the business policy course as a
meaningful capstone experience for our students.”
At Central, Gulezian twice took professional leaves, during
the 1988-89 and 1997-98 academic years for management internships at
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital. He worked directly with the
management and staff on a number of management projects, including
internal and external performance indicators, productivity program
improvement, quality control, morale surveys and improving
staff-management communication.
Gulezian wrote that the professional leave allowed him to
develop ways for “preparing students better for the managing skills,
abilities and behavior that employers are seeking in business school
graduates” and “providing students with part of the necessary skills
and abilities to reshape themselves in the light of changing career
demands over their lifetimes.
Savoian adds, “He was a caring colleague and a faculty member
devoted to the best interest of students as they prepare for the world
of work.”
A noted author, Gulezian penned several papers based on his
internship experiences, sharing them at conferences nationwide,
including “Health Promoting Behaviors — A Decision Making Exercise,”
presented at the 1998 Annual Association for Business Simulation and
Experiential Learning conference in Maui, Hawaii.
In addition, he co-authored tests that accompanied Richard L.
Daft’s second edition “Management” text. He wrote 45 test bank cases
with multiple-choice questions for each case. And, he helped develop
the presentation “Using the Internet in the Business Classroom: A
Cookbook.”
After 27 years at CWU, he retired June 15, 2000. Away from
campus, Gulezian served with the Kittitas County Aging and Long Term
Care Advisory Board.
Gulezian received his bachelor’s degree from Villanova
University in 1962; master’s degrees from the University of Oregon
(UO), in 1965, and University of California, Berkeley, in 1968; and a
Ph.D. at UO in 1971.
Prior to joining the CWU faculty in 1973, Gulezian served as
a researcher and personnel management evaluations project manager for
the Personnel Division of the state of Oregon. He also taught in the
School of Business and Technology at Oregon State University and at
Lane Community College. In addition, he was an assistant project
director for a state of Oregon airport study conducted through the UO
Transportation and Logistics Research Center.
A son, Kenneth, and daughter Dana, along with two brothers,
survive Gulezian. His former wife, Susan Gulezian, was also a CWU
employee.
A memorial service for Gulezian is scheduled for Friday at 11
a.m. at the Ellensburg First Lutheran Church (512 N. Ruby).
