Taylor Named Top MBA Professor by Bloomberg Businessweek

Haas Associate Professor Terry Taylor was named the fifth most popular professor at a top U.S. business school by Bloomberg Businessweek Friday.

"Taylor has only been teaching for 10 years. But at Berkeley, he's already made his mark," the magazine wrote on its website. The article noted how Taylor has transformed the Haas School's Operations Management core course, which he taught in the spring. "Students rate his core Operations Management class as one of the most useful in the MBA program…before his arrival, it was rated the least relevant," the magazine wrote.

Bloomberg Businessweek's recognition of Taylor follows a similar honor by the MBA website Poets & Quants, which included Taylor in its list of the best business school professors under 40 earlier this year. Taylor, an expert in supply chain management, joined Haas in 2007. He also is the faculty lead for the Haas School's new Innovative Leader curriculum.

To create its list of the top 10 most popular business school professors, Bloomberg Businessweek asked respondents of its 2010 full-time MBA graduate survey to identify their two favorite professors. The responses of 3,732 students were used; only schools with more than 60 responses were counted, bringing the total number of schools considered to 25. Professors were ranked in order of absolute popularity, with the winners cited by at least one in every five students from their school. Taylor was named by 22 percent of respondents from Haas.

"The most popular business school professors are good teachers, plain and simple. They're not rock stars, CEOs, or celebrity researchers," the magazine wrote. "Their students come first and it shows."

In a review of the best instructors at Haas over several years, Taylor has come out as one of the top-rated teachers. Colleagues and students alike say he comes to class well-prepared. He uses a mix of teaching techniques to hold his students' interest, including case discussions, in-class simulations, and even Seinfeld episodes. "For a case study on a confectioner, he brought – what else? – cookies," Bloomberg Businessweek wrote.

Taylor also embodies the Haas School's four defining principles, especially Beyond Yourself. Bloomberg Businessweek noted, "When a colleague took baby leave, Taylor volunteered to teach his weekend courses in addition to his own work."

Read about Taylor in Bloomberg Businessweek

Read about Taylor in Poets & Quants

Read about Terry Taylor in CalBusiness

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