The Opus College of Business prides itself on the quality of its faculty. In keeping with this pride, two awards are presented annually to recognize faculty achievement.
The Julie Hays Teaching Award is given to an OCB faculty member for exemplary achievement in the classroom in the previous academic year. More than 30 faculty were nominated for the hays award this year, a sign of the passion our faculty have for teaching and engaging with their students.
Awarded since 2010, the Hays Award was presented today to Dr. Heino Beckmann. Beckmann announced earlier in the day his plans to retire after 28 years teaching in St Thomas’ Finance Department.
“As someone who views himself as a coach and mentor rather than a professor, Professor Beckmann pushes students intellectually, morally, and philosophically,” one student wrote. “One of the most interesting people I have ever met, he draws on his past experiences to not only teach us the subject, but to teach us how to become the best people we can be.”
“Professor Shovein is among the most talented professors at the University of St. Thomas,” wrote one nominating student. “He has a knack for bringing core concepts and real world experience together. His classes are not only enjoyable to attend but also make learning seem natural and easy while continually challenging and expecting the most out of students.”
“His work stood out among a strong pool of candidates for its ability to contribute to both the academic discussions and provide real guidance to managers struggling with a difficult problems, such as designing and managing the interface between sales and marketing, another nominator wrote. “He exemplifies what we were hoping to honor with the Susan Heckler Award for Research Excellence”
