Assistant Professor of Finance David Dumpe received
a 2011 Outstanding Teaching Award for his dedication to
student achievement.

David Dumpe sees his role as a professor a bit differently. He considers himself more as a facilitator than a teacher and encourages students to discover information for themselves, while he teaches them to think, to learn and to work in order to help ensure their future success. This dedication to student achievement is just one of the factors that earned Dumpe an Outstanding Teaching Award.

“The need to cover a specific body of content, as well as help students become conversant enough to apply that knowledge in a practitioner setting, creates a new dynamic each semester,” says Dumpe. “It is the prospect of sharing their success stories in the years to come that truly motivates me to be the best classroom instructor that I can be.”

As an assistant professor in the Department of Finance at Kent State University, Dumpe teaches upper-division corporate finance courses, predominately for finance majors and Master of Business Administration students. He served as the Provost’s Fellow in fall 2011 and was the first nontenure-track faculty member to do so.

“It’s hard to imagine a better professional development opportunity,” he says. “In addition to providing an opportunity to contribute to decision-making processes, teaching fosters a much more balanced view of how much effort and expertise goes into driving Kent State’s excellence agenda on a daily basis.”

Dumpe earned his undergraduate degree in economics and political science from Capital University in Columbus, a master’s degree in management from the University of Northern Colorado, and a Ph.D. in business administration with a major in finance from Kent State. Prior to entering academics, Dumpe was an officer in the United States Air Force, owned a small business and was the CFO of a small manufacturing company.

“Dr. Dumpe’s ability to provide instances, relationships and examples regarding the subject made complex information easy to understand,” says Cory Guy, a financial analyst for the Cleveland Clinic who graduated from Kent State in May 2011. “Dr. Dumpe outlines a path to success and as long as students stay true to the course, they walk away with a strong knowledge of the material and know how to present and relay the information to others.”

In the future, Dumpe hopes to help “a great many more” students to become successful and accomplished practitioners. He also wants to spend as much time as he is able to with his grandchildren.

“I am very pleased and honored to receive the award,” Dumpe says. “It is a highlight of any faculty member’s career to be nominated for such an award by a student.”