Lori Rumreich
Marian University Byrum School of Business
“As Professor Rumreich’s past advisee, I note most of my achievements as thanks to her for inspiring me to share my ideas, be bold in all spaces, and understanding when I needed support. Past myself I have watched Professor Rumreich share the same compassion and motivation with her students to build a community within the business school. Professor Rumreich has been a critical piece of Byrum School of Business’s success through her creation of innovative leaders.” – Sandy Sledge
Lori Rumreich, 59, is Assistant Professor of Marketing and Sales at Marian University’s Byrum School of Business.
Before becoming an undergraduate business professor, Rumreich worked 15 years in global sales, marketing, and strategy leadership in life sciences and medical devices corporations. She launched a start-up in 2007, raising venture capital, and placing first in a national business plan competition.
At Byrum, she launched a new Professional Selling Program in 2019 that includes a dedicated sales lab, four new sales courses, an industry-sponsored internal student competition, and an advanced student sales team that competes nationally.
“Prof. Rumreich makes an extraordinary impact on her students by mentoring them in 40-plus company engagements including a ‘state of ethics’ study among Indiana corporations. This fall, she launched the first business student research symposium,” says Byrum dean Greg Rawski. “She has mentored students in 35 national marketing and sales competitions since 2010, garnering four first place and numerous top five finishes against top business programs. Her efforts have helped grow Byrum’s freshman class by more than 52%.”
Her marketing and sales student teams won the 2021 National Sales Championship and second place in AMA’s 2022 Amazon Prime Competition. Rumreich is winner of the 2021 Indiana Educator Award for Excellence, the Palni Open Educator Award, and Marian’s Paul and Debbie Norman Award for Distinction in Teaching.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2004
Education: Ed.D. Marian University, MBA Indiana University, B.S. Ball State University
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Strategic Marketing, Sales Technology & Analytics, Advanced Professional Selling, Market Research, Marketing Cases & Competitions, Digital Media, and Promotion. I lead and coordinate the four-course Professional Selling Program.
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when… I was working in a business development role for life sciences when the Dean at my alma mater, the Kelley School of Business (Indianapolis campus), asked me to create and teach a Negotiation course. After one semester I was hooked, and started looking for a full time marketing professor position.
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I am working on a study of how undergraduate students learn about and experience leadership through classroom, co-curricular, and extra-curricular experiences. A surprising finding is how influential peer coaching experiences are in supporting a student’s own leadership development. These experiences include active peer coaching of another student using techniques such as role play or structured observation and feedback. Students who act as peer coaches perceive themselves as leaders in these situations. This finding applies to a variety of settings, such as in the classroom, on athletic teams, and as part of co-curricular and extracurricular projects.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be… still working as a marketing executive in the life sciences industry.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? My competitive spirit. Coaching students in as many different competitions as I can each semester keeps my skills and knowledge sharp in the classroom, while allowing my students to level up in real time as they interact with a diverse network of students, professors and business professionals across the country. Although we are a mid-sized school, my students always know that I believe they can rise to the challenge of winning against the biggest and best marketing and sales programs in the country.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Awestruck.
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: That you really can change lives.
Professor I most admire and why: I admire all of the female business professors out there teaching sales courses and coaching students in sales competitions. This is an area that is still dominated by men, and I look up to the female leaders who are tackling the challenges in this male-dominated field.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I love it when I uncover what motivates any particular student. When I can find what makes them engage in learning – whether it be learning a new skill or applying new knowledge, being part of a competition team, or mastering a subject they never thought possible, I see the pride they experience in themselves and it is incredibly rewarding.
What is most challenging? The struggling student who seems to have given up, whether it is lack of engagement in class, poor attendance, or something else. These are the students I try the hardest to reach, and these are the ones I celebrate most when they succeed, but also feel despair when they do not.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: team-player.
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: arrogant.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as…someone who is able to get the best from each student.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? Reading. I’m a bit of a news junkie, with a particular passion for anything about business, science, technology, and cybersecurity.
How will you spend your summer? I spend a lot of time in the summer completing as many certifications and/or webinars as possible in the area of digital marketing. This field is undergoing such rapid and on-going change that continuous updates to my knowledge are critical, so that I can deliver the best possible instruction in the classroom. One goal I have for next summer is to learn Python, and I’ve also taken up gardening in the past few years, although my success has been somewhat mixed.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: The most beautiful place I’ve traveled is the south of France, but these days my favorite vacation is when I am able to stay home and enjoy my family.
Favorite book(s): Silent Spring is one of my favorites and I’ve read it more than once. I also read everything by Stephen King.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? I’ve been watching Shantaram. It provides a vivid portrayal of life in 1980’s Bombay.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I’m a big Springsteen fan. Like any great marketer, Springsteen knows how to tell a story, and I’ve always really connected with his lyrics, whether it be his debut album or his more recent material. Born to Run (1975) is my all-time favorite collection.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this… Students learning alongside business people, tackling real business challenges, and finding meaning in the industries, projects, or experiences they become involved in. I believe that this is the way to meaningfully engage students so that they are able to explore what they want to do in their careers and connect with people who can help them grow and learn.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at…addressing challenges that continually emerge as a result of technology advancement. These include ethical concerns around personal privacy and the potential for cybercrime, corporate responsibility for securing personal information about customers and employees, and the use of AI. Investment in environmental sustainability solutions must also be a requirement for the future.
I’m grateful for… the responsibility I’ve been given to prepare my students to successfully navigate their academic careers and become ethical leaders in the business world.
DON’T MISS: THE ENTIRE 2022 ROSTER OF THE 50 BEST UNDERGRAD PROFESSORS
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