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Faculty Spotlight

The Faculty Class of 2002

A walk down the Newman Vertical Campus’s 13th Floor corridor is a visual journey in what makes the Zicklin School of Business unique and special. Images of professors in one-on-one counsel with students adorn the same wall as those of alumni standing proudly in centers and buildings they help build. Larry Zicklin, Prakash Sethi, Gloria Thomas, George and Sandra Wasserman: many of the great men and women of Zicklin are portrayed here, as are the students whose future they help shape. The photos are, in essence, a testimonial to the legacy of commitment, service, and scholarship that serve as the foundation of this great school.

The first photo one comes upon is that of a group of faculty who have made incredible and lasting contributions to Zicklin. This group photo, comprised of 16 men and five women lining the stairs of the Newman Library, was taken at the beginning of their Zicklin journey, when they first joined the school as the Faculty Class of 2002. They were greeted with great expectations and fanfare. The New York Times ran an article announcing their arrival. Sidney Lirtzman, Dean of the Zicklin School of Business until September 2002, explained at the time that the new faculty hires would bring the school to a “different level of excellence.” There is no question that they have done just that.

In all measurable areas, the faculty class of 2002 has exceeded the expectations bestowed upon them. As of fall 2007, 60% of the 2002 cohort had achieved tenure, a remarkable accomplishment. This group’s publication record is unparalleled with articles appearing in such peer-reviewed journals as: Journal of Financial Economics, Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of Marketing, Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Marketing Research. Articles have also appeared in practitioner journals like California Management Review, Investor Relations Quarterly, and MIT Sloan Management Review. According to the Social Science Research Network (SSRN) website, papers attributed to those in the cohort have been downloaded 2422 times in the past 12 months.

The cohort has been recognized for its excellence in teaching as well. Seven of its members have received the Zicklin Teaching Excellence Award, with one or more members having won this prestigious honor every year since 2004.

The cohort does not shy away from service to the school either. Every Zicklin Standing Committee has at least one representative from the cohort. The current chairs of the Executive Committee and Graduate Committee on Assurance of Learning come from the cohort as does the Director of the Service Excellence Initiative Program. Cohort members have served at new student orientations, on search committees, the Library Committee, on taskforces, and as moderators and speakers on various Zicklin and Baruch panels. Members of the cohort are as active outside the walls of Zicklin as they are in. They serve as reviewers on countless refereed journals, as session chairs at various conferences, and as members of associations and societies.

The Faculty Class of 2002 entered Zicklin with varied backgrounds. Some came to Zicklin straight from their PhD Programs at schools like Carnegie Mellon, Duke, and NYU; others left appointments at schools like Cornell, Cambridge, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for Zicklin. Some had strong publication records prior to their arrival. Others would begin their own publication legacy while at Zicklin. But, on an autumn day in 2002, they all came together and lined the stairs of the Newman Library for a photo that to this day represents the standards of excellence and the possibilities of even greater things to come.

“I fondly remember the photo shoot over in the library,” recalls Karl Lang, Associate Professor in CIS. “It took the photographer quite some time before everyone was placed to his satisfaction. I almost got a bit dizzy and had some trouble holding my exact position, but the picture that came out is really very nice and makes me feel like we were really one team that worked together with John (Elliott) to make Baruch a better place not only for students but also for the young minds that come here to research questions and issues that drive businesses in an ever changing world.”

To read more about the Faculty Class of 2002 click on each name below: