Naomi Rothman, Lehigh University
“My favorite business professor is Professor Naomi Rothman because her way of teaching was different than any other I have experienced at Lehigh. Alongside every course concept would be a related activity coupled with an article that gave a real-world example of that concept in practice. In addition, she incorporated academic research that had been done in the business leadership space to add even more context to what we were learning. Outside of the classroom, I also recently reached out to Professor Rothman with a question about applying to business school. Not only did she offer to speak with me about it, but she also referred me to someone she knew that she thought would be a good contact. Both academically and professionally, she has been enormously impactful.”
Tobey Bill, Lehigh University
My favorite business professor is David Kryscynski, aka DK! He was my professor for STRAT 390 or Corporate Strategy which was about how firms can create a sustainable competitive advantage in complex and dynamic environments. I really enjoyed this class because of how DK incorporated storytelling and humor into each of his lessons, especially with learning new concepts. I also appreciated how DK was able to be vulnerable with his students in sharing his personal life experiences and giving advice because it showed me the strength in having vulnerable conversations and building long-lasting relationships.”
Karyn King, University of Michigan (Ross)
“My favorite business professor was John Kammeyer-Mueller. I took John’s Staffing Training & Development course this fall, and it was a fantastic experience. John is one of the most charismatic people I know. He always engages the class with (mostly relevant) stories, thought-provoking questions, and deep conversations about the subject matter. He also made an effort to learn everyone’s names, making us all feel more comfortable and ready to engage.”
Navin Thakurdial, University of Minnesota (Carlson)
“My favorite professor is Brian Hanssen, who taught my Organizational Communications class, which is the second course in our four-course Social Impact core. In a fully remote semester where every student dreaded joining yet another Zoom call, Professor Hanssen went out of his way to create a positive atmosphere. He tried to help however he could while I was recruiting and held office hours in the middle of the night to accommodate students in other time zones. His infectious energy and dedication to the success of every student made our class very memorable.”
Jieying “Jo” Tong, New York University (Stern)
Matthew Eriksen, Providence College
“Dr. Matthew Eriksen. Dr. Eriksen has been a truly life-changing professor for me. I came into my senior year of college just being another typical college student. However, after taking his Self-Leadership course, I truly believe I developed years ahead of my time. I learned how to be compassionate and how to be more attentive. Even more so, I discovered my purpose for life. I realized my purpose in this life is to make others around me realize the beauty of the world we live in and help others to understand the importance of taking in every single moment that God gives us. Dr. Eriksen opened my eyes to a whole world I had never even realized was out there. Because of his class, I have had tremendous control over my actions and my mind. Those close to me have even started to pick up on how my mood and actions have changed for the better.”
Aidan Vito Arone, Providence College
“Professor Joe Hoyle has been my favorite professor since I took my first accounting class with him during my freshman year. I’ve either had him as a professor or served as his course mentor every year of college; no other professor has had quite the same presence in my life. His Socratic teaching method and vibrant personality have pushed me to think harder, longer, and more deeply about topics than I ever had. Yet, Professor Hoyle doesn’t just stress the importance of understanding debits and credits; he makes a conscious effort to encourage students to think beyond themselves and to be curious learners. Looking back on my personal and academic growth these past four years, Mr. Hoyle’s classes played a huge role in shaping my confidence as a business student. I’m so grateful for the guidance he’s given me and the opportunities he’s provided me. Without him, I would not be an accounting major and would be on an entirely different path.”
Christina St. John, University of Richmond (Robins)
“Dr. Eric Powers’ ability to lead an interactive classroom and push his students to evaluate problems unlike they have ever done before is very inspiring. He pushed our Finance Scholars class through an intense Harvard Case Pack, and we left that semester understanding extremely technical topics. I thank him for also understanding how I learn through asking questions; his appreciation of this, rather than frustration, is something I am very grateful for. I will never forget the moment I was contacted by someone from Jefferies Investment Bank, and they had mentioned to me how, “Dr. Powers raved about your participation and curiosity in class.” Being recognized as a student with that reputation meant the world to me, and you can bet I’ll never stop raising my hand in future classes to come! Often, women like myself are pushed to produce perfection, and this keeps us from asking questions or working through problems with others. Dr. Powers showed me that the real perfection is found in active participation and learning, and that was refreshing as a student.”
Katherine Hyde, University of South Carolina (Darla Moore)
“My favorite business professor at SMU is Joseph Cahoon. Professor Cahoon teaches Real Estate Fundamentals (RE 3381), which is an in-depth introduction to Real Estate as an asset class. With an uplifting charisma and a true passion for real estate, Professor Cahoon serves as a genuine resource to anyone with a desire to learn. He also encourages students to apply what they have learned in the classroom to a real-world setting. For example, students are tasked with the challenge of valuing a shopping center located in Frisco, Texas, about 30 miles north of campus. Professor Cahoon inspired our group to take a field trip to the shopping center to view it in person, assess the traffic levels, and speak with storeowners in order to determine the area’s economic potential. My group was able to create a financial model that accurately told a story based on our qualitative observations. This analysis required us to think beyond the material covered in the textbook. In the end, it was very rewarding to see that the purchase price we calculated ended up being remarkably close to the actual price for which the shopping center was sold.”
Madeline Langley, Southern Methodist University (Cox)
Ryan Farley, University of Tennessee (Haslem)
“My college career would have been far less fruitful without the instruction and support of Dr. Ryan Farley. He is the Faculty Director of the Torch Funds Program. which really helped me learn investing strategies and develop a deeper understanding of how the financial markets work. Dr. Farley expects a lot of his students, but he helps them achieve these high benchmarks by providing insightful feedback and pushing us to our limits. He is also exceptionally compassionate and truly wants his students to succeed, going out of his way to connect students with professionals in their target industries. He taught me how to think critically about the markets and how to convey what I know to others. Dr. Farley is an advocate for his students, and I am just one of hundreds of students who look up to him and appreciate having studied underneath him.”
Andrew Campbell, University of Tennessee (Haslam)
“My favorite professor is Christine Smith because of her passion for teaching and the betterment of her students. I first met Professor Smith as a senior in high school and prospective student at a Tulane Information Session in Chicago. Through our brief conversation, I could already tell that I would want her as my professor. During my first semester at Tulane, I had Professor Smith as my Financial Accounting professor. She always succeeded in keeping students engaged throughout every class. Professor Smith would walk around the class to get everyone to participate, and she even made a square dance to help us remember the accounting cycle. Whenever I had a question, Professor Smith was eager to set up a time to help me. Two years later, in my junior year, I took Intermediate Accounting with Professor Smith. She was just as driven to make sure her students understood the content and made our class so intriguing. Professor Smith drove me to pursue a minor in accounting, and I am so grateful for everything she has done for me through my four years at Tulane.”
Geeta Jhangiani, Tulane University (Freeman)
“My favorite professor at USC is Professor Greg Kling. Since sophomore year, Professor Kling has been my tax and ethics professor, VITA faculty advisor, and case competition advisor. His passion for the subjects he teaches is unparalleled, and I am always captivated by his animated lectures. I remember staring in awe as Professor Kling went out of his way to bring in Enron CFO Andy Fastow as an Ethics guest speaker. Unsurprisingly, that class was a highlight of the semester as we heard about Enron’s descent from a direct witness. Professor Kling is also tremendously dedicated to his students; he makes an effort to get to know everyone on a personal level, and his office door is always open. On multiple occasions, I’ve found myself stopping by four days a week for a tax question, leadership advice, or just to say hello. It is this commitment and sincerity that have made Professor Kling such an integral part of my business school experience.”
Jiaying “JaJa” Tong, USC (Marshall)
“Peter Brockway. Each Fall, Professor Brockway offers a course on Private Equity that uses an educational approach different from any class I’ve taken at Wake Forest. Brockway’s decades of professional experience working in industry allow him to provide a unique, authentic perspective on aspects of private equity, including fund-raising, searching for target companies, executing a transaction, management of an acquired business, and exiting. While his technical knowledge is obviously extensive and impressive, what I always enjoyed the most was his honest, down-to-earth approach to business and professional relationships. I’ve found that students can sometimes get so caught up in financial jargon and the fast-paced, competitive nature of the business world that we forget the importance of meaningful relationships and virtuous behavior. Professor Brockway is someone for whom I have tremendous personal respect and professional admiration for – the lessons I’ve learned from his class will prove invaluable in my career.”
Zachary “Zach” Skubic, Wake Forest University
Leta Beard, University of Washington (Foster)
“My first case competition coach when I was a freshman was Professor Leta Beard. She saw my passion for casing early on. Multiple national and international cases later, she has been my number one supporter throughout my case competition journey. Although I have never had the privilege of being her student, I have learned more from her wisdom on case competitions than I have in many of my classes. She was the first person I called when I received the message that I had been selected for my first Apple internship and the first person I called one year later when my recruiter asked me to join the SDM team full-time. Professor Beard is sunshine in a bottle, and having seen first-hand how much effort she puts into making her classes, teams, and clubs at UW a success inspires me every day to work even a fraction as hard as she does. One day, I hope to be a case competition coach just like her.”
Emma Rose Dahleen, University of Washington (Foster)
“I absolutely adore Elanor (Nora) Williams, associate professor of marketing! Nora is so sweet, and I found her such a pleasure to be around, both as her student in Consumer Behavior and as her teaching assistant. She brings an extremely erudite and well-researched perspective to class while simultaneously providing fun and relevant applications outside the classroom. She also teaches in an interdisciplinary way, bringing her psychology background into the business classroom and inspiring me and all her students to make unique connections. I have learned so many things from Nora and her class that I will take with me for the rest of my life.”
Brock Mullen, Washington University (Olin)
“I haven’t told her this just yet, but I really look up to and admire Professor Katherine Klein. She’s an accomplished and award-winning organizational psychologist, professor, and research scholar at Wharton, but leaving it at that would be a disservice. She’s dedicated her life and research to social impact, even serving as Wharton’s Vice-Dean for Social Impact. You can tell she genuinely cares about doing good through business – both in her work and her interactions with students — and that’s something I respect greatly. I hope to be able to do the same in the future. Not only that, but her work directly impacts first-generation, low-income students such as myself. I am proud to have been not only one of her students, but also to call her a mentor, too.”
Derek Nhieu, Wharton School
“Moses Altsech is the definition of a stand-out professor at UW; he is a captivating storyteller who has the unique ability to genuinely hold the attention of a room full of students for 75 minutes (or more). I’ve had Moses for both Consumer Behavior and Sales Marketing classes, and he fuels my curiosity for the world. He’s pushed me as a marketer and student, but most importantly as a person. His success is admirable, but it’s his kindness and authenticity that made me appreciate his classes and advice. He also sparked and encouraged my passion for writing, which I am thankful for.”
Emily Siderits, University of Wisconsin
DON’T MISS:
FAVORITE BUSINESS LEADERS OF THE CLASS OF 2023
10 BIGGEST SURPRISES ABOUT MAJORING IN BUSINESS
ADVICE TO FUTURE BUSINESS MAJORS FROM THE CLASS OF 2023
12 BIGGEST LESSONS LEARNED BY BUSINESS MAJORS
BEST & BRIGHTEST BUSINESS MAJORS: CLASS OF 2023
Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.