Jeffery M. Sharp served as The Smeal College’s Associate Dean for International Programs. His responsible areas included Smeal’s faculty led study abroad programs, the study abroad advising directors, serving as the college’s liaison to the university’s Office of Global Programs and coordinating with the university’s partner programs in other nations.
From 2013 to 2017, he served five graduating classes as Smeal's Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Associate Dean Sharp has published numerous articles and papers on business law subjects, including bankruptcy, commercial transactions, property rights, environmental law, and banking. His research on the impact of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act on the educational community was named the 2002-2003 winner of the Ralph C. Hoeber Award by the Academy of Legal Studies in Business. In 2013, he became the second Smeal College faculty member to receive the university’s highest overall teaching award, being named a Penn State Teaching Fellow. With a career committed to teaching excellence, he has been recognized by the university, the Smeal College and his research academy colleagues with awards that include the 2003 Milton S. Eisenhower Award for Distinguished Teaching; Master Teacher by the Academy of Legal Studies in Business (2003); the Smeal College’s annual Fred Brand Award for Outstanding Teaching (1992, 2000, 2006) and named a Paiste Teaching and Learning Fellow in 2011.
Expertise
Digital Copyrights. Property Rights. Debtor-Creditor Relations (including Bankruptcy). Environmental Law.
Education
JD, Commercial Law Emphasis, University of Oklahoma College of Law
MBA, Finance Emphasis, University of Oklahoma - Price College of Business
BBA, Finance, University of Oklahoma - Price College of Business
Courses Taught
BLAW 444 – Advanced Ucc (3)
All articles of the Uniform Commercial Code, banking relationships, debtor- creditor law, and bankruptcy law. B LAW 444B LAW 444 Advanced UCC and Commercial Transactions (3) This course is designed to: (1) provide the student with a systematic study of the laws governing sales transactions, the instruments for financing those transactions and rights and liabilities of debtors and creditors (the Uniform Commercial Code governs these issues); (2) to explore current trends in the law affecting commercial transactions; (3) to develop further the student's legal reasoning processes; (4) to enhance the student's ability to identify legal issues from the business decision maker's and financial auditor's perspectives. Instructional methods will include lectures, readings, multimedia content, and class discussions. Student progress and mastery of the material will be evaluated through periodic examinations. Some state C.P.A. Boards require completion of this course as a prerequisite to obtaining certification as a public accountant. Completion of the course will be credited toward fulfillment of the requirements for the Legal Environment of Business Minor.
BLAW 499 – Foreign Studies (3)
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B LAW 444 – Advanced UCC and Commercial Transactions (3)
All articles of the Uniform Commercial Code, banking relationships, debtor- creditor law, and bankruptcy law.
B LAW 499 – Foreign Studies (Variable)
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B LAW 341 – Business Law I: Introduction to Contracts, Liability Issues, and Intellectual Property (3)
An introduction to the business environment emphasizing business contracts, liability issues arising from business relations, including those in the internet realm and intellectual property issues. Alternative dispute resolution and global perspectives wi
R M 425 – Business and Environmental Regulation (3)
Examines the interplay between enviornmental regulation and commercial activities, including property interests.
B LAW 399 – Foreign Studies (Variable)
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
B A 241 – Legal Environment of Business (2)
Examines the legal system's role and impact regarding business transactions, liability issues, and ownership of intellectual property. Students earning credit for B A 241 may not earn credit toward Smeal College baccalaureate degree for B Law 243 and/or B
B LAW 496 – Independent Studies (variable)
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
B LAW 425 – Business and Environmental Regulation (3)
Examines the impacts of major federal environmental laws on business relations and property interests.
B LAW 344 – Commercial Transactions (3)
Bailments, shipments, and sales of goods; financing transactions and creditors' rights; commercial paper.
R EST 425 – Environmental Law, Property, and Commerce (3)
Examines the impacts of major federal environmental laws on business relationsand property interests.
Selected Publications
This article was selected The 2003 Hoeber Memorial Award for the Outstanding Article in the ALBJ, the ALSB’s highest research honor.
Entered into The Smeal College of Business Administration Working Paper Series in Real Estate, No. 94-14
Article recognized by the National Law Journal in its Worth Reading column (April 17, 1995)
Examines motor carrier bankruptcies in the 1980's
primary author