Honoring the Best Business Professor of the Year Hult Blog

Teaching awards are not uncommon. We probably all know someone who’s won one, and several more who should. Excellent teachers are the reason why many of us have been inspired to stretch ourselves beyond our limits, only to find that we are capable of so much more than we ever imagined. The reason we humans have accomplished amazing things is due to the teachers who imparted the foundational wisdom required for the leaps (large and small) we’ve taken. But good teachers don’t always get a chance in the spotlight like they deserve – and they do deserve more credit, especially at the university and post-graduate level, where administration and research often are prioritized higher than teaching. I proposed The Business Professor of the Year Award last year as a way to honor great teachers. The Economist responded enthusiastically to the concept, and agreed to run the competition. As a member of the judging panel, it has been amazing to watch the process – from initial idea to gearing up for the actual awarding of the $100,000 cash prize. Along the way, a lot of questions have been raised about how we will determine the Best Business Professor. I’m going to answer some of the more interesting ones, and provide an â€Å"insider’s view† on why it’s a tough world for good teachers at the graduate level. Aren’t the best business teachers in the top ranked schools already? Why do we need to look beyond those? It does seem like the best teachers would naturally gravitate to the schools with the best reputations and remuneration. But many of the top-ranked schools are top ranked because of their research focus – not because of their teaching. When I taught at a top ten school, I was regularly reminded that good teacher ratings might actually count against me in a tenure decision. Some powerful faculty members thought that great student ratings suggested too much entertainment value in the classroom, and that a highly rated teacher is too focused on instruction instead of research. Because of this, a lot of great teachers seek out jobs at state, community, and non-ranked schools that emphasize and even reward teaching. Don’t business schools gather student ratings of the best teachers?   Why not use those as an initial cut of best teachers? School-generated teacher ratings have a couple of basic flaws: 1) Students rate teachers and courses before they have received a grade in the course, and long before they’ve had to apply the lessons from those courses in the real world. 2) Some teachers manipulate student ratings: they don’t give (bad) grades before student ratings are complete; they tell students how great they are, even if they haven’t done anything very impressive; they don’t give honest, negative feedback; and they emphasize entertainment-value and motivational speaking. Flaws aside, there’s also no mechanism (to my knowledge) that allows students and prospective ones to compare student ratings across schools. If great teaching is important to you, shouldn’t you have some insight into that? Okay, if not a simple numeric comparison, why don’t we just poll business school deans about their best teachers? Most deans and school presidents have no idea what goes on in a classroom because it’s not part of their job description (that doesn’t mean it’s OK not to have an inkling). Deans and presidents are tasked with raising funds, managing boards, and putting out fires. They rarely have the time or the inclination to sit in a class. In my twenty-five year teaching career, the first time a dean actually sat in on my class was earlier this year, at Hult. In fact, I never had an observer sit in one of my classes until about five years ago at Globis University in Japan. At Globis I received a formal one-hour feedback session on what I was doing well and badly in the classroom from someone half my age – but still, it was very helpful! How do you transfer students’ positive feedback on their professors into an event? We decided we had to go directly to students and former students. We asked individuals to nominate their favorite professor, and rally others to vote for the teachers they love. We were hopeful that former students, out in the workforce, would cast their minds back to the professors who had influenced them in a significant way. We were not disappointed. 220 nominations came in from six continents. And 35,000 students voted for their favorite nominated profs. It really became a worldwide phenomenon. In order to narrow the finalists down to the â€Å"best,† we decided to make that final hurdle a live competition. From my experience leading Hult’s faculty recruiting process, there is nothing like sitting in a classroom to observe how a teacher connects (or doesn’t) with the students. I’m convinced that the normal methods of hiring a faculty member (resumes, copies of teacher ratings, and interviews) are a very poor substitute for watching a teacher in action. Great teachers are truly a joy to behold. This Thursday, in London and online, you can behold the four finalists. They will be teaching a roomful of current MBA students who are studying in more than twenty institutions around the world. Those students will vote for the winning professor of the year, and online viewers will have a vote in the outcome as well. I’ll speak for my fellow judges in giving many thanks to the students and former students out there who participated in the nomination process, and those planning to watch the final event in-person or virtually. It will be more than just the final and formal conclusion to a months-long process to identify excellent business professors all over the world. It will be an opportunity to truly celebrate and honor the final four, as well as all the great teachers who work very hard, and in the process inspire their students to accomplish great things. Cue the spotlight. Make the most of what your career has to offer with a Masters in International Business from Hult. To learn more, take a look at our blog The Legacy of Inspirational Teachers, or give your employability a huge boost with an MBA in international business. Download a brochure or get in touch today to find out how Hult can help you to explore everything about the business world, the future, and yourself. Related posts Academics Beyond (narrow) business concepts: â€Å"Soft† skills turn out to be critical skills News Building success: Dual Degree students win at USASBE Community How going beyond business at Hult helped me launch my company Admissions Accepted Students Weekend: A weekend to remember Careers Career mapping: How to become an executive in the next 5 years 0 Thought leadership How to prepare for an uncertain future in a world of AI Instagram Hult Rotation offers you a chance to study in a truly global way. Our rotation program allows you to study and be immersed in some of the finest cities in the world. 📠¸: @jasminmanzano . Hult Rotation offers you a chance to study in a truly global way. Our rotation program allows you to study and be immersed in some of the finest cities in the world. 📠¸: @jasminmanzano . Each year, Hult seeks to enroll a talented and ambitious incoming class from all over the world. We look for diverse students with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests—students who will thrive in our unique educational atmosphere. Are you ready for a truly global experience? 📠¸: @iambrunadiniz . Each year, Hult seeks to enroll a talented and ambitious incoming class from all over the world. We look for diverse students with a wide range of experiences, perspectives, and interests—students who will thrive in our unique educational atmosphere. Are you ready for a truly global experience? 📠¸: @iambrunadiniz . We’re excited to start 2020 on a ranking high! Hult is proud to have been placed #28 in Poets Quants 2020 rankings for Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the US. Taking a huge leap of 32 places from our 2019 position, we’re also very happy to have secured top positions in key categories like: life-changing experience, practicality of the degree, and global immersion. . With five global campuses, a student body of over 130 nationalities, and a learn-by-doing approach—Hult offers a student experience like no other. . We’re excited to start 2020 on a ranking high! Hult is proud to have been placed #28 in Poets Quants 2020 rankings for Best Undergraduate Business Schools in the US. Taking a huge leap of 32 places from our 2019 position, we’re also very happy to have secured top positions in key categories like: life-changing experience, practicality of the degree, and global immersion. . With five global campuses, a student body of over 130 nationalities, and a learn-by-doing approach—Hult offers a student experience like no other. . â€Å"I’m from an engineering background and needed a whole new skill set for the industry I wanted to switch to. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with being out of my comfort zone. I learned both soft and hard skills, from how to work in very diverse teams to key accounting metrics and strategy. I was surprised by how weak I was at certain tasks in English or how strong I actually was in other areas. Hult gave me opportunities to try new things and meet people from places I never thought I would have friends. . My internship experiences gave me the chance to broaden my view of different cultures and different companies. I had the opportunity to work and live with people whose values differed from people in my home country. I thought that this would be difficult, but it gave me the chance to reflect on my own values and assess if they were a result of my home country environment or if they were intrinsically mine. . Diederick ter Kulve (@diederick.terkulve) Netherlands Masters in International Business . â€Å"I’m from an engineering background and needed a whole new skill set for the industry I wanted to switch to. I learned a lot about myself and how I deal with being out of my comfort zone. I learned both soft and hard skills, from how to work in very diverse teams to key accounting metrics and strategy. I was surprised by how weak I was at certain tasks in English or how strong I actually was in other areas. Hult gave me opportunities to try new things and meet people from places I never thought I would have friends. . My internship experiences gave me the chance to broaden my view of different cultures and different companies. I had the opportunity to work and live with people whose values differed from people in my home country. I thought that this would be difficult, but it gave me the chance to reflect on my own values and assess if they were a result of my home country environment or if they were intrinsically mine. . Diederick ter Kulve (@diederick.terkulve) Netherlands Masters in International Business . Say a big hello to our Bachelor of Business Administration program cover star, Elisa Orus Plana âÅ" ¨ . â€Å"I’m excited for the future—especially that I cant predict whats going to happen. Maybe Ill end up in Mexico working for a trading company or maybe in Africa, developing my own business. Everything is possible, and the options are constantly changing. I love the idea that Im never going to be stuck doing the same job until the end of my life if I dont want it to be like this. . Hult really supports me and my ambitions and truly believes that we deserve to be considered as professionals as well as students. Here, I get to express not just my opinions but all elements of myself. From my creative side with the Fashion Society to my finance and business sides in Trading Club and the Management Consulting Club. We get a different type of learning here. Not just essential knowledge and theory, but practical skills and mindset. The school is always evolving. We’re encouraged to innovate and to always look for new ways of doing traditional things. We learn how to be more confident and become aware of how we can impact our environment. The school aims to help you become a better version of yourself and to stand out from the crowd.â€Å" . Elisa Orus Plana French Bachelor of Business Administration Class of 2021 Say a big hello to our Bachelor of Business Administration program cover star, Elisa Orus Plana âÅ" ¨ . â€Å"I’m excited for the future—especially that I cant predict whats going to happen. Maybe Ill end up in Mexico working for a trading company or maybe in Africa, developing my own business. Everything is possible, and the options are constantly changing. I love the idea that Im never going to be stuck doing the same job until the end of my life if I dont want it to be like this. . Hult really supports me and my ambitions and truly believes that we deserve to be considered as professionals as well as students. Here, I get to express not just my opinions but all elements of myself. From my creative side with the Fashion Society to my finance and business sides in Trading Club and the Management Consulting Club. We get a different type of learning here. Not just essential knowledge and theory, but practical skills and mindset. The school is always evolving. We’re encouraged to innovate and to always look for new ways of doing traditional things. We learn how to be more confident and become aware of how we can impact our environment. The school aims to help you become a better version of yourself and to stand out from the crowd.â€Å" . Elisa Orus Plana French Bachelor of Business Administration Class of 2021"> During the final days of 2019, you probably reflected on what you’ve accomplished this year—and even this decade—and what you’d like to achieve in 2020. Let us know in the comments below. During the final days of 2019, you probably reflected on what you’ve accomplished this year—and even this decade—and what you’d like to achieve in 2020. Let us know in the comments below. â€Å"The first time we did group work on the program, I went head-to-head with a colleague. It taught me a lot about how I see people, how people see me, and how conflict can be resolved in a kind and productive way. The best feedback you get, when delivered constructively, is the most critical because it really feeds into how you lead. I’ve completely reversed my leadership style—the result is so much richer and more powerful when you lead from behind and lead with strength. . Studying in tandem with working, whilst challenging, gave me the perfect platform to directly apply learning concepts into my business environment, the competitive landscape, and the real-estate industry as a whole. When I started the program, I was very happy in my corporate role. But my courage and aspirations grew to the point that I took on a whole new direction. Having my career coach, Joanna, as a sounding board allowed me to really be strategic and get to know myself. She coached me thro ugh all the interviews, the research, and the questions. It went in parallel with what I was doing academically and after six months everything just clicked. . I went into the EMBA knowing I had nothing to lose and I’ve come out with everything. Great strength, global friends, amazing learning, mentors from professors, a job I love, and the knowledge that I can set my mind to achieve anything and with the right support and resources I’ll get there.† . Kashani Wijetunga British, New Zealand Sri Lankan Associate Director Senior Strategy Consultant CBRE EMBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"The first time we did group work on the program, I went head-to-head with a colleague. It taught me a lot about how I see people, how people see me, and how conflict can be resolved in a kind and productive way. The best feedback you get, when delivered constructively, is the most critical because it really feeds into how you lead. I’ve completely reversed my leadership style—the result is so much richer and more powerful when you lead from behind and lead with strength. . Studying in tandem with working, whilst challenging, gave me the perfect platform to directly apply learning concepts into my business environment, the competitive landscape, and the real-estate industry as a whole. When I started the program, I was very happy in my corporate role. But my courage and aspirations grew to the point that I took on a whole new direction. Having my career coach, Joanna, as a sounding board allowed me to really be strategic and get to know myself. She coached me thro ugh all the interviews, the research, and the questions. It went in parallel with what I was doing academically and after six months everything just clicked. . I went into the EMBA knowing I had nothing to lose and I’ve come out with everything. Great strength, global friends, amazing learning, mentors from professors, a job I love, and the knowledge that I can set my mind to achieve anything and with the right support and resources I’ll get there.† . Kashani Wijetunga British, New Zealand Sri Lankan Associate Director Senior Strategy Consultant CBRE EMBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"It was now or never. I knew that I’d have likely stayed in my neighborhood for years to come if I didn’t take this opportunity. I’d not lived or studied outside of the U.S. before. So I left my job as a global strategist at an advertising agency and moved halfway around the world. I’ve come back a more culturally aware, well-versed person. I’ve realized that everything is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. Ill definitely carry this mindset with me into the future. Technology and social media allow us to be different people in several places at once. Im excited to see how I can establish myself in whatever city Ill be lucky enough to call home and still maintain deep connections with people all over the world. I’m inspired by my classmates every day. Hearing some of their life stories and how getting this degree fits into their greater mission has been very humbling. My biggest challenge has been finding the ‘right’ path for me. There have been rooms Ive felt like I shouldnt be in, but now Im proud to feel as though I truly belong, wherever I am.† . Dwayne Logan, Jnr. American MBA Class of 2019 . â€Å"It was now or never. I knew that I’d have likely stayed in my neighborhood for years to come if I didn’t take this opportunity. I’d not lived or studied outside of the U.S. before. So I left my job as a global strategist at an advertising agency and moved halfway around the world. I’ve come back a more culturally aware, well-versed person. I’ve realized that everything is a learning experience and an opportunity for growth. Ill definitely carry this mindset with me into the future. Technology and social media allow us to be different people in several places at once. Im excited to see how I can establish myself in whatever city Ill be lucky enough to call home and still maintain deep connections with people all over the world. I’m inspired by my classmates every day. Hearing some of their life stories and how getting this degree fits into their greater mission has been very humbling. My biggest challenge has been finding the ‘right’ path for me. There have been rooms Ive felt like I shouldnt be in, but now Im proud to feel as though I truly belong, wherever I am.† . Dwayne Logan, Jnr. American MBA Class of 2019 . Happy New Year, Hultians! . Happy New Year, Hultians! .