Pictured are, bottom row, from left, are faculty member Brandis Phillips, faculty member Luis A. Perez, CBA Dean D. Michael Fields, and faculty members Colby Wright, Vigdis Boasson, James Melton; top row, from left, faculty members Van V. Miller, Brian Tarrant, John Vinson, and Tanawat “Tom” Hirunyawipada. Not pictured are Burak Dolar, Yan Shi, and Javed Younas.

Twelve new faculty
join CBA team

To be great at business, you have to adapt to the ever-changing market, keep relationships with longtime collegues, and cultivate new alliances that will help the overall team.

CBA Dean D. Michael Fields said he is proud of what the College of Business Administration has accomplished in recent years, including adding new programs and having a successful $10 million capital campaign.

“This is a very special place. We are all about adding value to students by offering specialized programs, providing them with an enhanced skill set, and getting them involved in the real-world workplace so that they are more attractive to prospective employers.”

The new CBA faces come from all over the country, from New York to New Mexico. They have different research interests, award recognitions, and teaching styles. But they all want to reach their full potential – and help students reach their full potential – at CMU.

Take time to meet them:

Vigdis Boasson
Department: Finance and Law
Came from: Ithaca College, assistant professor

Why did you want to teach at CMU?
“I interviewed at more than 25 colleges and received seven offers, but none of the other schools had what CMU’s business college has: a great balance of researching and teaching support.

“I also was attracted to the vision Dean Fields has for the college and his leadership ability. To grow, you need strong leadership and support, and I can tell that is what this college has.”

Burak Dolar
Department: Economics
Came from: University of Mississippi, instructor

How does your teaching style set you apart?
“I do not perceive teaching as only a job, but as a way of expressing myself. I truly believe that individuals can do their part to make the world a better place to live. For me, one of the best ways of working toward this goal lies in striving for excellence in teaching.

“From my personal experience, I have learned that good teachers can have a significant positive effect on their students and make a difference in their students’ lives. Teaching offers me this excellent opportunity as well as the acute responsibility to have such an impact on my students.”

Tanawat ‘Tom’ Hirunyawipada
Department: Marketing and Hospitality Services Administration
Came from: University of North Texas, doctoral graduate

What are you researching?
“My research area is in new product development and innovation. Regardless of size or discipline, innovation is at the heart of any business organization. I believe that my research insights can help enhance students’ understanding about the future of competition in which competitive advantages depend upon the firms’ ability to innovate.”

James Melton
Department: Business Information Systems
Came from: New Mexico State University,
instructor and doctoral graduate

How does your teaching style set you apart?
“As a student, I was always more excited about learning when I could see the connections between the classroom and the outside world. I felt the experience was more valuable when my teachers cared about me as a person, maintained open lines of communication, and were willing to collaborate with me in the learning process. My efforts as a teacher are now directed toward creating these conditions for students.”

Van V. Miller
Department: Management
Came from: Texas A&M International University, associate professor of international business

Why do you enjoy teaching business?
“I am highly interested in international business because much of what we study and teach provides the context for most business activity today.”

Luis A. Perez
Department: Management
Came from: Appalachian State, assistant professor

Why are you so interested in your
particular business field?
“Since as long as I can remember, I’ve had an interest in understanding why a company or person is able to succeed. In other words, I had always been interested in understanding what strategies or habits set a company or person apart from the rest.”

Brandis Phillips
Department: Business Information Systems
Came from: Michigan State University,
doctoral graduate and teaching assistant

What teaching methods do you use in class?
“My teaching philosophy is one that attempts to engage students in a manner that encourages fostering open communication and discourse in the classroom. To achieve this, it is important to meet students where they are in terms of their current knowledge of information technology.

“Other methods employed include encouraging class participation, incorporating video, cases, and guests when possible. Furthermore the use of group projects enables students to learn from one another as well as gives them an opportunity to gain valuable experience working in teams. By incorporating the use of presentations, students are allowed to practice presenting in front of a group, thereby giving them an opportunity to hone skills that will be used frequently in the business world.”

Yan Shi
Department: Economics
Came from: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, doctoral graduate

How do you teach business lessons to your students?
“I focus on organization and problem solving. I want my students to have a clear structure of the materials and be able to link all the concepts together through the practice of problem solving.”

Brian Tarrant
Department: Finance and Law
Came from: Florida State University,
doctoral graduate and teaching assistant

How does your teaching style set you apart?
“I strive to integrate real business situations and problems into the classroom. I spent 17 years pursuing a business career before returning to the classroom to complete an undergraduate finance degree and then move on to the doctoral program at Florida State University.

“Over my 17 years, I did everything from sweeping the warehouse floors to managing a multimillion dollar sales territory. As such, I offer a lesson plan sprinkled with personal successes and failures in addition to textbook definitions and generic case studies, all designed to equip our CMU students with the skills they need to meet the ever-changing dynamics faced in the world of finance.”

John Vinson
Department: Management
Came from: Central Michigan University, part-time instructor

How do you keep students engaged in learning?
“With regard to my teaching style, I try to actively involve students in the learning process. I impart theoretical and practical knowledge, checking often for understanding of key concepts. I try to utilize various presentation strategies to cover the three basic learning styles. Many of the classes consist of lecture, group work, discussion, visual aids, and individual exercises.”

Colby Wright
Department: Finance and Law
Came from: Florida State University, doctoral student
and teaching assistant

Why are you so interested in your
particular business field?
“No field of academia devotes itself more to study of the pursuit of earning or growing money than finance. As I have broadened my knowledge of the subject I have become fascinated with some of the specific arenas inside the larger sphere of finance – particularly market anomalies, behavioral finance, and more recently the growing world of exchange-traded funds.”

Javed Younas
Department: Economics
Came from: West Virginia University, instructor/graduate teaching assistant

What sets CMU’s College of Business Administration apart?
“This is a very friendly environment. Administration, students, fellow faculty are all friendly and respectful.”