Favorite Business Professors Of The Class of 2020

Miami University’s Haim Kassa

“My favorite professor is Dr. Haim Kassa, who has taught me both Portfolio Management and Intermediate Financial Management. Dr. Kassa truly has a love for teaching and goes out of his way to connect with his students. As a professor, he does a phenomenal job explaining class concepts in terms of real-world implications and teaches in a way that helps to maximize his students’ learning and provide the largest benefit for his students. Dr. Kassa is always in a great mood and every class period he seeks to have as much fun as possible with the lesson.”
J’Quaan Waite, Miami University (Farmer)

“My favorite professor at Michigan State University is Dr. Michael Thibideau. I say this because the first memory I had of him was on the first day of class. I remember him standing near the front of the classroom with the biggest smile on his face and a curiosity to know his students. He wanted to know more about me and my career aspirations. Most of the questions asked were framed around why I wanted to study supply chain and where I wanted to work after college. That was the first time someone challenged me in the major I chose in the business school. It made me sit back and contemplate what I wanted to do after college and evaluate if I should proceed with this major.

In addition to this, if there were any topics in class I thought were interesting, I was always able to talk to him after class for ten minutes. He would even send me articles or let me borrow books on supply chain concepts and on what the next big emerging technology was. That to me spoke volumes on his character and how much he was invested in his students. He didn’t just lend support to me, but to many students, boys and girls alike, in all of his classes. Dr. Thibideau would go out of his way to make his class enjoyable and take feedback on how he could teach more effectively. He tried to get to know every one of his students and is why I immediately thought of him when reading this question.”
Samantha Maryann Stevons, Michigan State (Broad)

“My favorite professor is Janet Letourneau. I have never met a more dedicated professor who truly wants every student to be prepared for the business world. One of her main teaching methods is through student collaboration hands-on learning. She constantly had us analyzing marketing methods used by a plethora of companies which helped me apply what I was reading in my textbook to real-world situations. Her energy pushes me to want to be a better student, team member, and person.”
Jennifer Wilson, Providence College

Notre Dame’s Wendy Angst

“My favorite professor is Professor Siqi Li, who teaches Managerial Accounting and Cost Accounting. Professor Li is intelligent, genuine, compassionate, and encouraging. Every day of class, she would walk around the room before class time, as students trickled in to find their seats, and ask people how they were doing and if they had any questions about the class material. And she would always take the time to listen and offer help when needed.  She didn’t ask because she felt like she had to, she did it because she cared.  She brought her whole self to class every day and encouraged and supported students who were having a hard time with the material. Besides being very capable of teaching the material in a complete and easy-to-understand way, she created a challenging yet fun environment for students to learn in.”
Sarah Tatley, Santa Clara University (Leavey)

Wendy Angst – Imagine one of the kindest, most compassionate individuals you know who are able to see and nurture potential within you (which you had no idea ever existed). Now, multiply that by your favorite large number greater than zero. That’s Wendy.

My two classes with Wendy, Business Problem Solving and Innovation & Design Thinking, have been some of the most valuable courses of my college career. In addition to having classes structured with an undeniable sense of real-world application, the energy Wendy brought to each class was contagious, somehow transforming an incessant stream of what some may consider a bureaucratic headache of paperwork into an engaging and exciting process. Beyond the classroom, Wendy offered me the opportunity to help develop new bonding initiatives within the management consulting major and assist in recruiting events. Such experiences were quintessential to both my professional and personal growth, and I cannot thank her enough for it.”
Bruce Leonard Morris, University of Notre Dame (Mendoza)

“Hands down, Michael McLaughlin. He has become one of my closest friends and confidants throughout my time at WashU and has been there for me no matter the circumstance. His class, Managerial Accounting, largely drove my interest in Management. His incredible life story and care for his students is so unique and I am very grateful for him.”
Yaseen Ali, Washington University (Olin)

“My favorite professor would be Dr. Mark Browne, Chair of Faculty for the Greenberg School of Risk Management in the Peter J. Tobin College of Business. He is a professor who not only cares about his students’ education, but his students as a whole. In his global destination course, he took the time to get to know every single student beyond what we were doing academically. Additionally, he puts the power of learning in our hands. Each week, we would have groups that would present on different topics relevant to the class. Then, he would supplement our presentations with his knowledge on what seemed like everything under the sun. This not only gave me a new classroom perspective but helped me to retain information better than in a traditional setting, which was extremely beneficial during our travel. Dr. Browne’s class was one of the most interesting and engaging that I’ve ever had, and I know I am not the only student that thinks he is a fantastic professor.”
Katherine Ross, St. John’s University (Tobin)

“I have had many exceptional professors during my time at Whitman, but the professor that had the biggest impact on me was Professor Ginger Wagner. I have had the pleasure not only to work with Professor Wagner in the classroom but also as an advisor for some of the clubs I am in. She is extremely passionate about what she teaches and also making sure that her students understand the material. Professor Wagner also prides herself in making sure her office door is always open for her students, past and present, no matter the issue. Personally, Professor Wagner has been a role model and mentor. She was also the reason I chose Accounting as my major and the reason for me choosing tax as my service line.”
Ryan Houck, Syracuse University (Whitman)

NYU Stern’s Brian Hanssen

Professor Brian Hanssen never failed to bring charismatic energy and excitement to my freshman year course about the intersection of business and society. Outside of the classroom, Professor Hanssen took the time to sit down with each student individually and helped push me to challenge myself. I never imagined that a professor would go out of his way to fight time zone difficulties and still call me to talk through my concerns and inquiries even while I was studying abroad in Singapore. Even though it’s been years since I was in Professor Hanssen’s class, walking into his office to catch up always turns into an hour-long session with a parting promise to catch up again soon. I’m so grateful to have had someone like Professor Hanssen cheering me along throughout my undergraduate years.”
Caitlyn Lubas, New York University (Stern)

“My favorite professor at TCU has been Dr. Ronald Pitcock. I first met Dr. Pitcock in the summer before my freshman year at Frog Camp, an orientation program, in Berlin, Germany. During Frog Camp, 24 other incoming Honors students and I explored Berlin, learning about history, culture, and religion. We spent ten days uncovering the rich past of Germany as well as the bright future ahead of us. Constantly pushing me to think deeper and more critically, Dr. Pitcock has enabled me to draw connections between the world around me and the concepts taught through my business courses. Dr. Pitcock has been an incredible mentor, but more importantly, he has been instrumental in channeling my wide array of interests into tangible impacts.

In my final semester, I will take one last class led by Dr. Pitcock in which my classmates and I will learn the philosophy of philanthropic giving, culminating in an evening where we will donate approximately $100,000 to non-profits of our choice. Throughout my time at TCU, Dr. Pitcock has offered steady support and encouragement, but has also fiercely challenged me to become a better version of myself both in the classroom and as a citizen of our global community.”
Sarah Goldberg, Texas Christian University (Neeley)

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