CBE alumni honor current faculty

Every year the alumni in the College of Business and Economics have the opportunity to vote on faculty that have been outstanding.

This year CBE has recognized three faculty members in the areas of research, advising and teaching. This year’s recipients were Hamid Tabesh with the Outstanding Teacher Award, Dawn Hukai with the Outstanding Advisor Award and Joy Benson with the Outstanding Research Award.

In a press release earlier this month, CBE Dean Glenn Potts expressed his opinion about this year’s recipients.

“I am very proud of the faculty chosen for these awards,” Potts said. “The teaching and advising awards are chosen by our graduates from two and four years earlier, so it is a great honor to have been selected by our students.”

The award winners were announced at this year’s open day meeting in August. According to the recipients, the achievement reward comes as a welcome form of “thank you” from previous students.

“Anytime you win a reward that students have voted on, those are always most meaningful,” Hukai said.

“My research is in the areas of learning dynamics and decision-making,” Benson said. “I enjoy developing ideas that enhance student engagement in their learning as well as those that link academic and practitioner communities. Receiving this award helps to validate my role as a teacher-scholar and its contribution to the college’s mission and values.”

“It motivates me to work harder and keep up my good work. It’s always good to hear good things from your students. I’m glad to hear they think I’m doing a good job. But there are so many good teachers in this college. I’m lucky,” Tabesh said.

“It’s great to know you can make a difference in student’s lives,” Hukai said.

According to Hukai and Tabesh, the real credit is to the students themselves and the pleasure they take from helping them.

“When I teach the students every semester I feel good. That I feel proud about ­­ it is a continuous feeling I have. I have this privilege to teach these young students. Their energy gives me energy. They give more to me than I give to them,” said Tabesh.

Hukai states that her goal is to help the students that have already graduated. Helping them find jobs has been something she has worked on in the past few years.

“There is always improvement in every area that could happen,” Hukai said. “Everybody has a different story to tell to potential employers.”

“I want to continue to do my best,” Tabesh said. “I don’t want to slow down. I want to keep my research current. I want to keep the feeling of the first year, to maintain that energy until my last year [before] retirement.”

The College of Business and Economics has been developing new programs and ways of connecting with their students, from the Masters of Business Administration program to numerous internships located across the Twin Cities, Wisconsin and Minnesota.