Every year, the Walton College MBA Faculty of the Year award is bestowed upon an exceptional faculty member to recognize their influence as an educator and a leader among the MBA and Executive MBA (EMBA) programs.
The 2019 MBA Faculty of the Year has been awarded to Vernon “Vern” Richardson, a professor in the accounting department. The selection committee was comprised of three Walton MBA faculty members, one current full-time MBA student, one current EMBA student, two MBA Alumni Advisory Board members, two previous award winners and one faculty member who does not teach in the MBA program.
The committee considers the attributes, student feedback and contributions of the instructors nominated by their fellow faculty. Richardson is credited for his innovative course and the unique way he challenges students to apply accounting to everyday life.
Richardson is known for his interactive classes, exciting discussions and relevant curriculum. He emphasizes that an applicable course is pertinent to keep students engaged, “Students learn faster if they feel connected to the subject. My job is to ensure that everyone can relate to accounting, even if they aren’t in a finance function. I have to make it relevant to each of them.” Richardson involves students by using examples. He often incorporates trending world news and challenges students to analyze the impacts from a financial perspective. He also asks students to contribute to class discussions with examples from their internships or work experience.
Continuous feedback and group discussions ensures the curriculum remains relevant to students and the fields they work in. This is something students have continued to appreciate about his teaching style, and often reach out to him for guidance about the work they’re facing in their internships. Bronson Bailey, current EMBA student, emphasized the value of having a curriculum that was related to each student. “My favorite thing about Vern’s class was being able to learn a new idea or concept in his class on Saturday and directly apply the knowledge at work on Monday. He was truly an inspirational business professor, and I used the concepts he taught me in real world business settings long before I finished class,” Bailey said.
Richardson also is well known for using interactive games and simulations in class. He uses Zodiac, an executive game that simulates three full years of an accounting cycle. Students are able to run their business in the game and see how decisions impact their financial standing. “It’s a concise way a student can see how every function of business is related to accounting,” Richardson said. “Supply chain, strategy, management of cashflows and random chance all impact their competitive standing. It’s a great way to show them the role that accounting plays in business.” Feedback given by students at the end of the semester indicate that the simulation was one of the most enjoyed activities of the class and deeply impacted students’ learning.
A unique attribute Richardson brings to the program is his interest in data analytics. He has written two textbooks about data analytics for accounting and involves data analytics in his classes. He believes that students should be comfortable handling large amounts of data which to an untrained eye may seem overwhelming. Through his targeted classes and instruction, students learn to confidently analyze large amounts of information to improve decision making. Data analytics has growing importance in every function of business. An understanding of data analytics helps to set Richardson’s students apart from graduates of other MBA programs.
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