50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2023
Asked to describe his first time teaching in one word, Corey Ciocchetti uses two: Comically exhilarating.
The ethics professor had his very first class the morning after his honeymoon in Hawaii. But, when the airline lost his luggage, he showed up to class in the Hawaiian shirt, shorts, and flip flops he wore on the flight.
“The students thought I did it on purpose and I became popular in their eyes very quickly,” says Ciocchetti, the Bill Daniels Chair and Professor of Business Ethics & Legal Studies at University of Denver’s Daniels College of Business.
In teaching ethics, he asks students to not just evaluate their professional lives, but their home lives as well. He strives to graduate “character-infused” leaders who want to make a difference in their careers as well as in the lives of their own families and friends.
His resume reflects this balance: Author, award-winning teacher and scholar, coach of his daughters’ soccer teams – the Kicking Kangaroos and the Leaping Lions. He can find ethics snippets for class or his numerous speaker engagements in the Frozen movies and other family-friendly flicks he watches with his wife and two young daughters.
Corey Ciocchetti, pictured with his wife and daughters, asks students to evaluate ethical decisions in both their professional and personal lives.
He knew he wanted to be a business professor when “I saw the long-term impact I could have on students’ lives and legacies in their communities. One of my goals as an ethics professor has always been to encourage my students to evaluate their work lives AND home lives and try to be the best person they can be in both realms,” says Ciocchetti, one of Poets&Quants’ 50 Best Undergraduate Business School Professors of 2023.
“I do believe that ethical behavior will lead to the best outcomes in the long run. To this end, I am excited to explore with my students the idea of doing the right thing solely because it is the right thing to do.”
PRESENTING P&Q’s BEST UNDERGRADUATE PROFESSORS
Today, we proudly present our sixth edition of the 50 best professors in undergrad business education. We received more than 650 nominations from students, alumni, colleagues, and school deans taking the time to put into words what these outstanding professors meant to their students, their departments, and the business community at large.
Nominations came from more than 50 of the best undergraduate business programs, including a dozen international schools.
The editorial team at Poets&Quants individually evaluated every nomination. Each professor was assigned a 1-to-10 score based on their research and teaching accolades. Research was given a 30% weight and teaching a 70% weight, with the average making up the final score.
For research, we considered the volume of a professor’s Google Scholar citations, how much major media attention they received along with research and writing awards. For teaching, we considered all nominations, teaching awards, and impacts on their schools and departments.
PROFESSORS FROM 39 SCHOOLS MADE THE LIST
Anjelina Belakovskaia
2023’s list features 24 women, including Anjelina Belakovskaia, Associate Teaching Professor in Global Finance at Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management. She is a Woman International Grandmaster in chess, a three-time U.S. Women’s Chess Champion, and a member of the US Olympic Women’s Chess Team from 1991-2000.
What does she enjoy most about teaching business school students? “The ‘eye-opening moments’ when students make connections, recognize value, get excited about the material, and discover the depth of financial knowledge and possibilities,” she says.
Winners hail from 33 different schools. Two schools have three featured professors: The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and Darla Moore School of Business at University of South Carolina.
Twelve schools had two professors each including Babson College, Binghamton University, Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business, New York University Stern School of Business, Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business, University of Illinois Gies College of Business, University of Miami Herbert Business School, University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of Toronto Rotman School of Management, University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce, and University of Washington Foster School of Business.
NEXT PAGE: Wide range of expertise, disciplines and backgrounds
DIVERSITY IN EXPERTISE, DISCIPLINES, AND BACKGROUNDS
2023’s list of stellar professors come from a wide range of expertise, disciplines, and backgrounds.
Our youngest winners – Timothy Kundro of UNC Kenan-Flagler and Jedson Pinto of the University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management – are just 29 years old.
“Professor Kundro has found what seems like the impossible balance between being a respected professor that encourages students to think deeply, and being a relatable mentor that is willing and eager to offer advice on topics that may have nothing to do with class content,” a student writes of Kundro, who teaches business ethics and organizational behavior.
Pinto, who teaches managerial accounting, would like to see every business student create or develop new products or services during their programs. “Business students need as much exposure to an entrepreneurship mindset as possible. Trying and failing is a big part of the business world … You internalize concepts much better when you apply them,” he says.
Zhiwei Zhu, Clinical Assistant Professor of Management at the Mitchell Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University
At the other end of the experience spectrum is Zhiwei Zhu, Clinical Assistant Professor of Management at the Mitchell Daniels, Jr. School of Business at Purdue University. Zhu, 63, built a 15-year career in analytics and data science and is academic director of undergraduate Business Analytics and Information Management program.
He studies the role data science does and should play in the future of Artificial Intelligence. “My industry-oriented perspective equips me with unique insights and has enabled me to collaborate with highly respected scholars to explore the intricacies of data science’s scope and future,” he says.
A WIDE RANGE OF RESEARCH TOPICS
This year’s honorees teach the fundamentals of business – finance, accounting, marketing and strategy – as well topics on the cutting edge of business education. Their research interests are as varied as their backgrounds.
Jingjing Li, for example, studies the transformative potential of Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT in education and the workplace. These tools offer personalized and accessible learning opportunities, enabling learners to advance at their own pace.
“However, a significant challenge in this field is the inherent biases in GenAI,” says Li, the Andersen Alumni Associate Professor of Commerce at the McIntire School of Commerce. “Our study investigates the cyclical nature of these biases: biases in training data and user prompts to GenAI influence the AI models and, in turn, are reinforced by the GenAI’s responses.”
Matt Johnson of Hult International Business School earned his PhD in cognitive psychology from Princeton University. He’s using principles of neuroscience to study and improve experiential marketing. “As a business professor, one of my favorite tasks is helping students draw connections between traditional business concepts (e.g. marketing), and seemingly distinct fields (e.g. psychology, anthropology, philosophy),” he says.
Rowena Crabbe,assistant professor of marketing at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin
And Rowena Crabbe, assistant professor of marketing at the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, knew she wanted to be a business school professor when she realized it would allow her the autonomy to do meaningful real-world research on social issues such as racial justice, gender equity, and LGBTQ+ rights. She also studies Black entrepreneurs’ unique challenges and marketing strategies.
“Amazing and interactive teaching that dives into the intersection of business, social justice, and equality. This was one of my favorite courses at UT Austin,” says student Tessa Garcia. “Professor Crabbe was always extremely encouraging and open to discussion. Hers was the only class where I felt we didn’t have enough time during class because I always wanted to discuss and probe further into the topic at hand.”
IMAGINING THE BUSINESS SCHOOL OF THE FUTURE
In the profiles of each of the 50 honorees, we asked professors to imagine the business school of the future.
Unnati Narang, Assistant Professor of Marketing at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign’s Gies College of Business, imagines a business school that encourages students to think with nuance; that engages students more closely with concerns around society, politics, and the environment; and prepares students to be resilient, empathetic, and aware leaders.
Chou-Yu (Joey) Tsai, meanwhile, would like to see business schools put more emphasis on on analytical thinking and adaptability. “We need leaders with strong analytical skills to enhance their agility and adaptability. This can help people overcome the disruptions and impacts that technology can bring to our organizations and social systems,” says Tsai, the Osterhout Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at Binghamton University School of Management.
For Kelly Eskew, the business school of the future should have a much stronger focus on sustainability and climate, embedding the UN SDGs in the curriculum. She is a Clinical Professor of Business Law & Ethics and Director of Education for the Kelley Institute of Environmental & Social Sustainability at Indiana University Kelley School of Business.
“Students are eager to be part of the solutions to the existential problems that we are handing to them, and we need to be teaching them the skills necessary to do that work across all disciplines and the whole of our curriculum,” she says.
NEXT PAGE: P&Q’s 50 Best Undergraduate Professors of 2023
PRESENTING THE 50 BEST UNDERGRADUATE PROFESSORS OF 2023
Since 2017, Poets&Quants has honored nearly 300 stellar undergraduate business school professors as part of our 50 Best Undergraduate Professors honor roll. You can see past winners by clicking the year below. (There was no list published in 2019.)
Nominations will open for the 2024 list this fall. Please keep an eye out at Poets&QuantsForUndergrads.com as well as on our various newsletters and social media platforms for the start of our open nomination period. Our full 2023 class of honorees is presented below.
We hope you enjoy learning about each of the 50 accomplished, innovative, and compassionate professors on this list as much as we did. They, along with past winners of our series, represent the best of what an undergraduate business degree can offer.
Professor | School | Subject(s) | Age |
Arizona State University, Thunderbird School of Global Management | Finance | 54 | |
Babson College | Marketing | 45 | |
Babson College | Entrepreneurship | 52 | |
Binghamton University School of Management | Marketing | 61 | |
Binghamton University School of Management | Entrepreneurship | 42 | |
Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management | Strategy | 36 | |
Cornell University Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management | Accounting | 36 | |
Emory University Goizueta Business School | Business Law | 59 | |
Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University | Marketing | 38 | |
Fordham University Gabelli School of Business | Communications & Media | 55 | |
Hult International Business School | Consumer Physchology | 38 | |
Indiana University Kelley School of Business | Climate Law & Policy | 59 | |
Indiana University Kelley School of Business | Business Analytics | 42 | |
Iowa State University Ivy College of Business | Finance | 42 | |
Lehigh University College of Business | Accounting | 47 | |
Marquette University College of Business Administration | Information Systems | 58 | |
McMaster University DeGroote School of Business | Strategic Management | 39 | |
New York University Stern School of Business | Strategic Management | 60 | |
New York University Stern School of Business | Sustainability | ||
Northern Arizona University Franke College of Business | Marketing | 36 | |
Purdue University Daniels School of Business | Business Analytics | 63 | |
Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business | Marketing & Sales | 40 | |
Texas Christian University Neeley School of Business | Accounting | 44 | |
Tulane University, A. B. Freeman School of Business | Finance | 57 | |
University of Bath School of Management | Organizational Behavior | 39 | |
University of Colorado Leeds School of Business | Business Analytics | 54 | |
University of Denver Daniels College of Business | Business Ethics & Legal Studies | 47 | |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business | Marketing | 34 | |
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Gies College of Business | Business Policy & Strategy | 37 | |
University of Miami Herbert Business School | Economics | 39 | |
University of Miami Herbert Business School | Economics | 41 | |
University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School | Ethics & Organizational Behavior | 29 | |
University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School | Sustainability | 47 | |
University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School | Marketing | 34 | |
University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School | Negotiations | 38 | |
University of Pennsylvania The Wharton School | Environmental Management | 50 | |
University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business | Marketing & Sales | 59 | |
University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business | International Business | 39 | |
University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business | Global Strategy & Sustainability | 39 | |
University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business | Marketing | 39 | |
University of Texas at Dallas Naveen Jindal School of Management | Managerial Accounting | 29 | |
University of Toronto Rotman School of Management | Marketing | 33 | |
University of Toronto Rotman School of Management | Organizational Behavior | 36 | |
University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce | Analytics | 37 | |
University of Virginia McIntire School of Commerce | Organizational Behavior | 56 | |
University of Washington Foster School of Business | Networks & Cybersecurity | 34 | |
University of Washington Foster School of Business | Leadership & Organizational Behavior | 43 | |
Villanova University School of Business | Analytics | 36 | |
Washington University in St. Louis Olin Business School | Consumer Behavior | 44 | |
Western University Ivey Business School | Analytics | 33 |
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