David Besanko named Professor of the Year

6/7/2010 - Called by students a true role model, a thought leader and someone who encouraged them to dig more deeply, Professor David Besanko on June 4 was named the 2010 L.G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year.

Besanko, the Alvin J. Huss Professor of Management and Strategy, said he was touched by the honor, as he knew Lawrence G. Lavengood, the professor for whom the award is named, as a Kellogg student and then as a young professor.

“As a Kellogg professor, I have the best job in the world because I can teach extraordinarily interesting material, work with brilliant colleagues and most of all, I get an opportunity to teach you all,” Besanko told the students, who gave him a standing ovation.

This is the second Lavengood award for Besanko, who also was honored with the title in 1995. Besanko also received the Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award in 1998 and 2000 and the Chair's Core Teaching Award in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2005. He has been a faculty member at Kellogg since 1991, has served as the senior associate dean for academic affairs and teaches courses in microeconomics and competitive strategy. He also received his master’s and doctoral degrees from Kellogg in 1980 and 1982, respectively.

The Professor of the Year Award is voted on by students in the graduating Part-Time and Full-Time Kellogg MBA classes. Five other professors were selected as finalists for the award. In addition to Besanko, the nominees included:

• Kent Grayson, associate professor of marketing
• Scott McKeon, senior lecturer of managerial economics and decision sciences
• Mitchell Petersen, the Glen Vasel Professor of Finance
• Derek Rucker, associate professor of marketing and the Richard M. Clewett Research Professor
• Florian Zettelmeyer, the John L. and Helen Kellogg Professor of Marketing

Founded in 1975, the L.G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year Award is named in honor of the late Lavengood, who retired from the Kellogg School in 1994 and died in 2006. A faculty member for more than 40 years, he is still recalled fondly for his legendary teaching skills.