Dave Dusseau, a University of Oregon business faculty member of 20 years,attributes his popularity among students to “the law of large numbers.”
“I probably teach 2,000 students a year. I think it’s the biggest class on campus,” he said. “That’s part of why I would win a vote. If you don’t piss off more than 10 percent of the students,” you’re still doing quite well, Dusseau says.
But Mike Russo, a business professor and department head, said there is more to it than that.
Best ProfessorWinner: Dave Dusseau Professor of business Runner-up: Kelli Matthews Adjunct instructor of journalism and communication Honorable mention: Whitney Wagoner Instructor of sports business and industry analyst |
“What’s amazing about Dave’s classroom performance is that he makes a class of several hundred have an intimate feel, and he creates special relationships with his students.” Russo recalled writing Dusseau up for an award a few years ago and sorting through his students’ comments. “It was just really striking how the students walk away from the class with the sense of it being a very personal experience. And I’m just amazed that somebody could do that in a class of 2 or 300. My hats off to him.”
Amanda Latham, a University senior and accounting major who took Dusseau’s BA 101 course in spring 2006, said he is a fun professor with a lot of charisma. She also appreciated the practicality of the final class project.
“It was a real-world look at what he was teaching us,” she said.
Dusseau, a senior instructor, teaches introduction to business and is a master’s and doctoral graduate of the University. He earned his bachelor’s degree at Ohio State University, in his home state.
In the classroom, Dusseau takes many measures to actively engage students. He makes ample use of technology such as computerized simulations, iClickers and Blackboard – “so that students have something to do other than listen to me talk,” he said.
Dusseau’s favorite part of teaching is witnessing his students’ growth. “I’m always seeing people in the process of transformation, and I love that,” he said. “They have a lot of energy and a lot of questions. Even if (they’re questions) about business – it’s not the most exciting thing in the world.”
Dusseau is a good fit for the Pacific Northwest; the biking expedition he and his wife took across the country three years ago is a testament to his appreciation for the outdoors. He and his wife also share a cabin on the McKenzie River, where they spend much of their time; she runs, he hikes and they kayak together.
But it’s not just the natural wonders that draw him to the region; he also is fond of the people who live here.
“In Oregon I like all of the people I’ve met,” he said. “I love the geographic diversity of the Northwest. I like the desert. I like the mountains. I like the ocean. I like the rainforest. I like that there are still a lot of open places here, but that the people who are here are concerned about interesting and socially important and artistic things.”
Being voted “best professor” came as a pleasant surprise to Dusseau.
“It’s not the goal of teaching the class, but it’s a pretty remarkable kind of reward,” he said. “It makes what I do a lot more fun and a lot more interesting, to know that people think about me positively.
“If I were a student, I doubt that I would think that about me.”