Faculty Spotlight: Kam Chan

Accounting Department

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Students have described Professor Kam Chan, PhD, as caring, attentive, and a true scholar. If you get the chance to sit in on one of his accounting classes, you'll find a challenging, but understanding professor who pays great attention to detail and who has deep knowledge of his field. Recently, Dean Singleton appointed Dr. Chan as Lubin's Schaeberle Professor of Accounting. In celebration of this achievement, we talked to Professor Chan about his experiences as a professor and what makes the Lubin School of Business a unique place for learning about business problem-solving.

Why Accounting?

Accounting is the language of business and it involves issues in finance, information systems, management, and other aspects of a business. I find that accounting is a challenging and exciting field.

Why Lubin/Pace?

Pace has an excellent tradition and reputation in accounting. As a professor, it provides me with a perfect opportunity to work with many outstanding colleagues and students on our New York City and Pleasantville campuses.

What is your research area? Why is it important to advance research in this area?

Financial accounting and international accounting. Financial accounting has undergone substantial changes in the last two decades—from a traditional reporting system based on U.S. standards to an information system based on reporting standards in a global setting. It is crucial to understand how companies incorporate new technologies in their accounting systems and how investors benefit from expanded company disclosures.

What do students learn in your classroom?

I want students to realize that many accounting and business topics are related and based on the same underlying economic and behavioral principles. Students should apply these underlying principles to solve business problems instead of treating them as entirely independent, requiring completely different solutions.

What has been your professional path and how do you bring that into the classroom?

I initially planned to work as a financial consultant when I was an MBA student. However, while enrolled in my doctoral program, I realized that I enjoy being a teacher and researcher. I eventually became a college professor, but I still remember the challenges of being a student. As a result, I am always sympathetic when students run into issues in their studies; I would do my best to help them and accommodate their needs.

Congratulations on being appointed Lubin's Schaeberle Professor of Accounting. Can you tell us more about this achievement?

The Accounting Department chair, Dr. Tang, and Dean Singleton made the appointment based on my teaching and research records. I feel honored to have been appointed and I hope to continue the tradition of the Schaeberle Professorship as a teaching scholar at Lubin.

My best students are not necessarily those who have the best grades. As long as students have tried their best to develop to their fullest potential, they are considered my best students.

What is the single most important lesson you'd like to impart to your students?

I hope my students will always try their best and have a strong work ethic. My best students are not necessarily those who have the best grades. As long as students have tried their best to develop to their fullest potential, they are considered my best students.

What does #LubinLife mean to you?

#LubinLife is an active learning community. Students, faculty, and alumni all engage in lifelong learning in this community.

For today’s undergraduates studying the sciences, having a fundamental understanding of data science is crucial to succeeding in the workforce, which is increasingly focused on “Big Data.” But teaching these skills in a meaningful and relevant way can be a challenge for undergraduate instructors.

Pace University Environmental Science Associate Professor Matthew Aiello-Lammens, PhD, and Biology Associate Professor Erika Crispo, PhD, along with colleagues from 12 peer institutions, are working to change that with a grant from the National Science Foundation.

The $499,354, five-year award, effective last month, will allow the group to continue expanding the BEDE (Biological and Environmental Data Education) Network, with the aim of establishing a diverse, wide-reaching community of college instructors “trained in integrating data science skills across introductory biology and environmental science curricula.”

“This grant epitomizes what we believe in at Pace and helps to put Pace at the forefront of educational innovation,” said Tresmaine Grimes, PhD, dean of Dyson College of Arts and Sciences and School of Education. “The work of Professors Aiello-Lammens and Crispo is inspiring in its aim to be cutting-edge, far-reaching, and cross-disciplinary, and will serve instructors and students not only at Pace, but across the country.”

With this funding, Aiello-Lammens and Crispo further enhance Pace University’s position as a leader in advancing educational pedagogy, which aligns with the University’s newly unveiled Strategic Plan, “Pace Forward.” In fact, the mission and goals outlined for the BEDE Network aligns with many tenets of “Pace Forward,” including the University’s aims to be a source for curricular innovation, partner with external institutions and organizations for research and funding, work towards equity and inclusion, and focus on career readiness for all students.

The BEDE Network also aims to have its reach transcend the science disciplines because the rising prominence of Big Data is not only visible in the STEM fields, but in nearly every aspect of students’ lives – a notion that Aiello-Lammens, Crispo, and their colleagues are acutely aware of.

“We think it’s vital that our students understand how to make sense of these data and use them to make decisions for what they should be doing – from whether to eat certain foods, consider certain medicines, or accept a particular job,” Aiello-Lammens said. “If they have these data science skills in general, then they can apply them both in their work and in their lives.”

“Today we’re able to collect more data more rapidly, collect it on computers, and analyze it on supercomputers,” said Crispo. “It’s becoming more challenging to handle data and analyze it—and it’s becoming increasingly important to give students the skills to be able to do so.”

Toward that end, Aiello-Lammens and Crispo intentionally incorporate data science into all the courses they teach at Pace. The goal of the BEDE Network is to help other instructors do the same, which this NSF grant’s funding supports.

Notably, the BEDE Network was originally founded through a smaller, yearlong “incubator grant” that Aiello-Lammens and colleagues from Kenyon College and Denison University received from the NSF, and Crispo was among the first group of attendees in the seminal stages of the network. The pair hopes to help the BEDE Network expand nationally and internationally.

The Network will work to develop and deliver workshops to “train the teacher” and “train the trainer,” publish a curriculum guide, and host annual network meetings. The first meeting will be held on Pace University’s New York City campus in 2022 and will focus on diversity and inclusion in data science education.

Inclusion and accessibility are at the heart of the BEDE Network’s mission. One of the group’s main goals is to ensure that instructors at any institution – from community colleges to four-year research universities – have access to resources to incorporate data science into their curriculum. Aiello-Lammens and Crispo plan to share examples of modules they’ve taught in their own courses at Pace and build out the already-established BEDE Network website to allow members to share documents and strategies and provide feedback to one another.

About Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

Pace University’s liberal arts college, Dyson College, offers more than 50 programs, spanning the arts and humanities, natural sciences, social sciences, and pre-professional programs (including pre-medicine, pre-veterinary, and pre-law), as well as many courses that fulfill core curriculum requirements. The College offers access to numerous opportunities for internships, cooperative education and other hands-on learning experiences that complement in-class learning in preparing graduates for career and graduate/professional education choices.

About Pace University

Pace University has a proud history of preparing its diverse student body for a lifetime of professional success as a result of its unique program that combines rigorous academics and real-world experiences. Pace is ranked the #1 private, four-year college in the nation for upward economic mobility by Harvard University’s Opportunity Insights, evidence of the transformative education the University provides. From its beginnings as an accounting school in 1906, Pace has grown to three campuses, enrolling 13,000 students in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs in more than 150 majors and programs, across a range of disciplines: arts, sciences, business, health care, technology, law, education, and more. The university also has one of the most competitive performing arts programs in the country. Pace has a signature, newly renovated campus in New York City, located in the heart of vibrant Lower Manhattan, next to Wall Street and City Hall, and two campuses in Westchester County, New York: a 200-acre picturesque Pleasantville Campus and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law in White Plains. Follow us on Twitter or on the Pace News website.

About the National Science Foundation

The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1950 "to promote the progress of science; to advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare; to secure the national defense..." NSF supports basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.

Faculty Spotlight: Patrick McGuigan, DPS, CLU, ChFC, CPCU, FLMI

Management Department

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If you've taken a management class with Professor McGuigan, you've probably been impressed by his strong values and his commitment to helping students grow. Professor McGuigan is a Clinical Professor in the Management Department. His research areas cover management education, innovation, and decision-making processes. He joined Pace 15 years ago. During his tenure he has served as a faculty advisor to a social fraternity and he is a member of the professional fraternity, Delta Sigma.

Why Management?

I find management fascinating because it represents the nexus of all my interests—psychology, economics, risk management, decision making, history, human performance, and personal development.

I like the fact that Lubin students have grit—they are going to do well and be well. Further, I like the two-campus system and teach on both—the students are different and the same.

Why Lubin/Pace?

I am a Pace alumnus and I've learned that it is unusual for schools to hire their own. However, I am so glad to be here all these years later. Also, I like the fact that Lubin students have grit—they are going to do well and be well. Further, I like the two-campus system and teach on both—the students are different and the same.

List research interests/areas.

Decision making, process improvement, performance, and strategy

Why is it important to advance research in this area or these areas?

Human behavior and trying to understand what makes us tick is fascinating to me. It is essential to advance research in these areas because they strike at the core of who we are and determine how happy we will be in life.

What do students learn in your classroom?

I consider myself more of a storyteller than a lecturer; I try to encourage students to think more deeply about their experiences, expectations, and aspirations. Overall, I try to help students understand their why.

Discuss your professional path and its impact on how you teach and what you teach.

I have an extremely varied career—you might say I have been nomadic. I started my professional life with GE and completed their Financial Management Program, so I worked as an accountant. After doing that work for a while, I realized that was not my pond and I moved into financial services and worked in sales, operations, and later started three businesses. I am applied, and everything I teach is practice oriented.

What are some challenges you had to overcome to get to where you are today?

This is a loaded question! Let me say that I dropped out of high school and joined the United States Marine Corps when I was 15 and ended up here, so you can imagine I did not take the traditional route. I have crossed many rivers and forded many streams, and for some reason, tried to avoid the easy way.

Of which triumph are you most proud?

My marriage of 35 years is my most significant source of pride. I have a great partner because we work at it and I harvest the fruits of that labor regularly. It has always been my primary source of stability and I delight in the choice.

What is the single most important lesson you'd like to impart to your students?

You will spend your life trying to figure yourself out, so start now. The journey is not an intellectual one. You have to get on the road and accept responsibility and hardship—all the good stuff is across the river from all the stuff you do not like. Go toward your fears because that is where you'll find all the answers you seek.

What does #LubinLife mean to you?

For me it is all about the students and the endless quest to figure out how to motivate and engage them when they might prefer to be somewhere other than class. I keep trying at any rate, and maybe one day, I will even manage to improve.

Courses Dr. McGuigan teaches:

Business Strategy, Managerial Negotiations, Organizational Behavior, Management Principles, UNV 101, BUS 101, and Entrepreneurship Management