At the May 23 UCR School of Business Spring Banquet, the annual student-voted awards were presented to five faculty members by student leaders.
“The faculty of the School of Business are world-renowned scholars, teachers, and mentors. Each year, the school provides students an opportunity to give awards to the professors who have impacted their academic journey,” said Ishita Singhal ’25 MBA, president of the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management Student Association, who was one of the evening’s student presenters.
The accolades, each including a monetary stipend for the faculty member, are the Golden Apple Award for Excellence in Teaching; the James Merino Endowed Innovation Award, created by Merino, a 1998 alumnus; and the Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award established in honor of former Associate Professor of Management and Economics David Shulman and his wife.
2024-2025 Golden Apple Awards for Teaching Excellence
“The Golden Apple recognizes teaching excellence in the core and prerequisite courses and elective courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, for a total of four awards,” said Singhal. “As voted by students, the Golden Apple Award is for professors who have provided the best overall experience in terms of learning, engagement, and teaching style.”
Professor of Practice Raj Singh received the Golden Apple for Excellence in Teaching the Undergraduate Prerequisite and Core Courses. “Dr. Singh was described by students as ‘caring for the well-being of students,’” said Luis Lee ’26, vice chair of the School of Business Leadership Council, in presenting the award to Singh. Nominating students also stated that “his teaching made a profound impression, and his passion radiates through his lectures,” and “his use of real-life examples helps students better understand how things translate in the real world/” The professor was previously honored with 2022-2023 Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award and Golden Apple awards for 2015-2016 (two awards in one year), 2018-2019, and 2020-2021.
Adjunct Professor Management Austin Attaway and Professor of Practice Sean Jasso both were honored with the Golden Apple Award for Teaching Excellence in Undergraduate Elective Courses. “Professor Attaway’s students said, ‘he is the best teacher ever. He actually made me want to go to class;’ ‘he offered valuable feedback and was always willing to answer questions;’ and ‘his teaching made an impact on me,’” said presenter Nicholas Palencia ’25, chair of the School of Business Leadership Council, at the ceremony.
Palencia also shared some of the comments from students who voted for Jasso: “‘He has the perfect balance between teaching and engaging students;’ ‘he challenges us with thought-provoking questions;’ and ‘he encourages us to succeed and pushes us to do better.’” Jasso was previously recognized with the 2023-2024 Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award and the Golden Apple Awards for 2017-2018, 2018-2019, and 2022-2023.
Assistant Professor of Finance Mike Dong received the Golden Apple for Excellence in Teaching in the Graduate Core Courses. According to presenter Connor Donald ’22, ’25 MBA, vice president of the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management Student Association, Dong’s students said, “He clearly loves what he does and delivers a high-value course;” “he teaches a difficult subject yet makes it understandable and enjoyable;” and “he’s a solid dude!”
Lecturer Karisa You was awarded the Golden Apple for Excellence in Teaching Graduate Elective Courses. “‘It feels like we are having a conversation in class, not being lectured at,’” quoted presenter Singhal as she shared You’s students’ comments. “‘She is kind and really cares about her students,’ and ‘she helps us understand the concepts with real-life examples making the content memorable.’"
2024-2025 James Merino Endowed Innovation Award
“The James Merino Innovation Award recognizes a faculty member for bringing innovative ways of teaching or utilizing innovative tools and technologies in the classroom,” said Singhal before presenting the award to Adjunct Professor of Management Attaway, his second award for the evening. “His class has been one of the best experiences I’ve had in the program. His teaching style made the material interesting and meaningful,” said one voting student, and others stated, “he created a safe space and proactive means of engagement” and “the class exercises enhanced my understanding of the concepts and helped me work better with my teammates.”
2024-2025 Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award
“This award recognizes an outstanding faculty member who embodies the fulfillment of learning through their excellence in teaching,” said presenter Lee as he announced award recipient Assistant Professor of Teaching Rich Yueh. “He took time to thoroughly explain how things related to one another. I went from scared of the subject matter to graduating with a concentration in it and a job where I use the foundational knowledge he taught,” said one of Yueh’s students, and others were just as laudatory, as they stated, “He is a dream professor: intelligent, fun, and compassionate;” “he makes the commute in traffic worth every second;” and “he goes above and beyond to ensure the course material is applicable in the real world.” Yueh also received the 2021-2022 James Merino Innovation Award and three Golden Apple Awards for Teaching Excellence for 2019-2020, 2020-2021, and 2021-2022.
“Our faculty incorporate innovative business research inside and outside of the classroom, and they work diligently to develop programs and services to address our rapidly changing environment to support the needs of our students,” said Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Professor of Marketing Rami Zwick during his remarks at the start of the ceremony. “I am proud to work with such dedicated faculty and staff.”