Introduction
Michael J. Garrison, JD, is a professor in the Department of Ethics and Business Law at the University of St. Thomas Opus College of Business. A member of the college leadership group, he is responsible for faculty, research and the quality and integrity of the academic programs, including assessment of student learning.
Garrison loves teaching and interacting with students in the classroom. He employs a modified Socratic method to engage students in the learning process, a method that challenges and guides students to reason through difficult legal and ethical issues. Garrison believes that business professionals need to be legally sophisticated. His courses are designed to instill in students a clear understanding of the legal implications of business decisions and the importance of law to business strategy. He has developed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in ethics and law, international law, advanced commercial law, negotiation, and dispute resolution.
Garrison's current research focuses on employee non-compete agreements and trade secrets, an area of law that has important implications for businesses, employees and society in terms of the ownership of human capital. His extensive record of publications includes four articles in the American Business Law Journal, the premier scholarly journal in the business law discipline, three of which received the prestigious Ralph Hoeber Award for research excellence.
Garrison received a Bachelor of Science in economics from North Dakota State University (NDSU) in 1976 and a JD, with distinction, from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1979. Prior to joining the business school faculty at NDSU in 1984, he practiced law, specializing in commercial litigation, a practice he continued on a part-time basis during his 20-year tenure at NDSU. He joined St. Thomas in 2006 and served as the chair of the Department of Ethics and Business before assuming the role of associate dean for faculty and scholarship in 2009.