Top Business Majors Name Their Favorite Professors

University of Florida's Dr. Sean Limon

University of Florida’s Dr. Sean Limon

In December, Poets&Quants released its list of the best and brightest business majors for the Class of 2016 based on nominations from their respective schools. As part of their nominations, each student shared the best business professor that they’d had – and why. From creating welcoming classrooms to boiling down difficult concepts, here are the professors who are shaping the next generation of business leaders.

 

Go the Extra Mile

Jim Bodtke

Jim Bodtke

Jim Bodtke, Accy 451, is my favorite professor because his motives and expectations for teaching align with what I expect out of a professor. Although the course has lots of depth and spans across lots of taxes on corporations and partnerships, he is able to still make himself available to his students to ensure clarity. He also takes an interest in his students’ personal life and what their career goals and plans are.” – Alison McAuliffe / University of Illinois

“My favorite professor is my business case analysis professor, Dr. Sean Limon. Specializing in public speaking, something I struggle with, Dr. Limon has put in countless hours into my development. I’ve not had another professor that has invested so much into my success while also providing me with actionable feedback.”  – Joseph Couture, University of Florida (Warrington)

Mrs. Liliana Hickman-Riggs is the best teacher that I have had at SMU. She was helpful and cared passionately about her students. The most surprising thing about her is how she keeps up with her students throughout their career. When I won the KPMG Case Competition a year after taking her class, she sent me a congratulatory email the very next day. Her passion comes right out of her and there is no question surrounding her teaching ability.” – Myles Lee, Southern Methodist University (Cox)

Sharon Dilworth

Sharon Dilworth

“My favorite professor is Dr. Edward Babcock. He has been my MAcc advisor for the past couple of years, and has played an influential role in my college experience. He has been incredibly supportive in my both academic and extracurricular goals, as well as being instrumental in pursuing my post-graduation career. I have really appreciated the support and guidance he has provided!” – Katie Malley, Penn State University (Smeal)

Sharon Dilworth is an instructor who looks after her students long after they leave her course. After I left Sharon’s classroom, she continued to work with me on various projects. Not only does she serve as my advisor for an Honors Thesis, she has taken time out to assist me as I’ve developed specific aspects of my thesis, other projects, and work outside of her formal expertise. In short, Professor Dilworth is my favorite professor because she genuinely and truly cares about the well-being of her students.”   – Blake Chasen, Carnegie Mellon University (Tepper)

 

Engage Students

“One of my favorite professors is Professor Todd Fitch, who teaches intermediate microeconomics. I think he’s an incredibly effective professor because he encourages Socratic-style debates, rather than lecturing directly from his slides. And he discusses courses concepts in the context of real-world examples.”  – Jessica Mersten, University of California, Berkeley (Haas)

Markus Baer

Markus Baer

“My favorite professor is Markus Baer. He taught my organizational behavior class sophomore year. I never thought I would like the class, and only took it because it was a required course. However, I was shocked when I enjoyed the class so much. It was a new and interesting way to look at business through something other than numbers and financial statements. It was interesting to look at businesses through people and group dynamics. Professor Baer taught the class with so many real-life examples, and made the material very engaging.”  — Ellen Kaushansky, Washington University (Olin)

“My favorite professor is my Business Law professor, Robert Emerson. Professor Emerson is truly passionate about the subject he teaches. He incorporates interactive activities and real world examples that kept me engaged and fascinated by a subject I knew nothing about before taking his class. I really admire his positive energy and unique teaching style.” – Cara Grandstaff, University of Florida (Warrington)

 

Manpreet Hora

Manpreet Hora

“My professor for my Strategic Management course, Noble Coker, has done a phenomenal job keeping our class engaged with his enthusiasm to teach and his interweaving of the structured course content with his own personal experiences and insights from working as head of operations for Hong Kong Disney.” – Larissa Purnell, University of Southern California (Marshall) 

Manpreet Hora, PhD (for the Service Operations course). His teaching style is engaging and interactive, and he’s spectacularly sharp when it comes to analysis or deconstructing a difficult topic. Most notably, he takes great, genuine pleasure in being inside the classroom with students.”  – Elana Burton, Georgia Tech University (Scheller)

“My first-year seminar professor, Dr. John Mayo, really impacted my development from the very start of my business education. Professor Mayo’s class, titled “The Miracle of Markets,” explained economics and public policy in a new way. My traditional economics classes focused on memorizing diagrams and formulas; Professor Mayo’s class offered students the opportunity to read primary texts. Many people have heard the term “invisible hand,” but few have actually understood its context in Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations. Professor Mayo encouraged us to debate topics ranging from broad questions like the widely diverging philosophies of Milton Friedman v. Edward Freeman to the specific question of H.O.V. (high-occupancy vehicle) or H.O.T. (high-occupancy/toll) lanes).”  — Sarah Long, Georgetown University (McDonough)

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