Rate My Professor Ken Sanney

Dr. Ken Sanney is a Professor of Business Law in the College of Business at Western Carolina University, where he teaches courses in business law, contracts, ethics, negotiation, and alternative dispute resolution. He holds a JD and MTS from Vanderbilt University and a BS in History and Political Science from Central Michigan University. Previously, he served as Director of the School of Accounting, Finance, Information Systems, and Business Law, overseeing academic programs, faculty development, and strategic initiatives, including leading the early visioning, planning, and initial implementation of the College of Business Bloomberg Lab. Throughout his academic career, he has built programs, developed high-performing teams, founded an entrepreneurship department, and led transitions during periods of significant change, revitalizing business school operations and fostering collaborative environments with strong faculty and student engagement. Before returning to Western Carolina University, Dr. Sanney served as Deputy General Counsel at Mitsubishi Motors North America, Inc., where he was the company’s Director of Business Transactions and lead attorney for intellectual property, privacy, cybersecurity, and marketing and communications. His legal career also includes work as an entertainment and intellectual property attorney in Nashville, Tennessee, representing recording artists, producers, songwriters, and major industry organizations; acting as outside general counsel; litigating in state and federal jury trials; and serving as a specially appointed judge.

Dr. Sanney’s scholarship focuses on business law, ethics, negotiation, higher education pedagogy, and the intersection of law and emerging technologies. His recent work explores risk management frameworks for artificial intelligence in business law, the valuation and division of intellectual property in divorce, and applied negotiation strategies for legal and corporate contexts. He also engages in scholarship of teaching and learning. Key publications include “Applying the fraud triangle to higher education: Ethical implications” (Journal of Legal Studies Education, 2018), “The Importance of Truth Telling and Trust” (Journal of Legal Studies Education, 2020), “Real GPA and Real SET: two antidotes to greed, sloth and cowardice in the college classroom” (Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 2015), “Teaching Ethics and Values in an Age of Rapid Technological Change” (Rutgers Business Law Journal, 2021), and “Balancing the Friction: How a Constitutional Challenge to Copyright Law Could Realign the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment” (Columbia Science & Technology Law Review, 2014). Dr. Sanney blends his legal expertise, business strategy experience, and leadership background to prepare students for success through simulations, role-play, and case-based learning, developing analytical skills, ethical awareness, and strategic thinking. He participated in an expert panel on research and teaching experience with AI through the WCU Coulter Faculty Commons.