Excellence Across the Board
McCombs professors excel in divergent realms of teaching and research,
using one to inspire and inform the other.
by Pam Losefsky
“HE WHO DARES TO TEACH MUST NEVER CEASE TO LEARN.”
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It seems obvious, intuitive even, that teachers of all kinds must be voracious learners. How else could they prepare compelling lectures, thoughtfully answer students’ questions and unravel complex ideas for better understanding. Faculty members at a “Research One” university like The University of Texas at Austin are expected to take that learning to the next level, conducting research to become true experts in their fields—not only for the benefit of their students but to contribute new knowledge to society at large. It seems to follow, then, that some of the most prolific researchers must also excel in the classroom.
But the connection between teaching and research isn’t necessarily synergistic. There isn’t a lot of academic evidence that shows that teaching and research necessarily go together, says Robert Prentice, professor of business law at McCombs. “They require two different skill sets, so it’s not always that they can live together in the same person.”
There are, indeed, legitimate tensions between the two activities, especially regarding the amount of time that’s necessary to do both well. “Ultimately, research comes down to the creation of original knowledge, and that can be very labor-intensive in terms of gathering data, synthesizing it and putting it down in a coherent way on the page,” says Finance Professor Keith Brown, an avid researcher of securities markets, portfolio management strategies and asset valuation. It’s an activity that requires a lot of concentration, and distractions can be very costly, setting researchers back hours or even days. “This is the biggest tension—the time management problem,” he recognizes.
Robert Prentice puts it another way: “Time you’re spending in class is time you can’t do research and vice versa.”
In fact, there was a time in the not too distant past that the two seemed mutually exclusive. “When I first began my career as a professor, if you developed a reputation as a good teacher, you almost did so at your own peril—it was a synonym for a bad researcher,” Brown remembers. He’s happy to say that is no longer the case.
CULTIVATING THE LINK
Terri Givens, the university’s vice provost and director of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers (ADT), agrees that the days of the separation of teaching and research are over. Established 12 years ago, the academy recognizes scholars across campus who have excelled in teaching at the undergraduate level with a salary bonus and a special title, Distinguished Teaching Professor. Once inducted, academy members work to enhance teaching effectiveness throughout the university, advising the administration on teaching policies and practice.
Eight current McCombs School faculty members are in the academy: Anitesh Barua, Prabhudev Konana, Jonathan Koehler, and Robert Prentice from the IROM Department; Michael Granof, Ross Jennings and Lisa Koonce (the most recent inductee, joining in 2007) from Accounting; and Keith Brown from Finance. Many of these same professors also turn up on rosters of the McCombs School’s most active and well-known researchers.
Givens says that the professors who are distinguished teachers are often involved in the university on many fronts. New to her role with the ADT, Givens says, “The first time I attended an ADT banquet, I found that I already knew two-thirds of the people in the room from other activities. For instance, Michael Granof is a member of the University Co-op board and serves on the faculty council. They see all three pillars—teaching, research and service to the university as important. They are intellectually engaged and able to communicate ideas well.”
One thing that has enabled teacher-researchers to persevere despite the demands on their time has been the maturation of educational administration. The Academy of Distinguished Teachers, for instance, provides a relatively new, university-level incentive for those who are really good at teaching; whereas before, professors had only been rewarded for research accomplishments.
For its part, the McCombs School has developed policies that put faculty in a position to shine at both—offering uninterrupted time as well as financial compensation for both activities. Teaching loads may be stacked in one semester so as to leave time for research activities, or instructors may teach several sections of the same class to minimize prep time.
“The size of the school gives us this advantage,” Brown points out. Professors at smaller schools don’t have the research requirement; but then again, they also don’t have the luxury of teaching fewer courses.
What’s more, Dean George Gau recently moved Management Professor Jim Fredrickson into a new role as director of teaching development, in which the highly decorated and award-winning teacher at the graduate and executive education level will lead initiatives to raise the profile and quality of teaching in the school.
“We’ll be looking at what we can do to better prepare young faculty and those who are new to McCombs to teach in the program as well as ways we can promote and reward teaching,” Fredrickson explains. Any McCombs professor interested in improving his or her teaching skills will be able to tap into the expertise that will be available through this new program.
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