2015 Distinguished Faculty Service Award

Congratulations to Our 2015 Recipient

Excerpts and Highlights from Nominations

On Teaching

JP teaches PhD courses aimed at understanding social processes within the firm. His courses focus on how to scientifically study some of the most important and yet also difficult to define and measure concepts in organizational life, including power, status, and discrimination. His teaching style is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on literature from sociology, psychology, and economics, and, as a result, draws an impressive array of doctoral students from across the University. JP’s commitment to PhD students is really unmatched: both in the classroom and a seminar setting, he sets a great example for students to follow. He is always present, engaged, and actively pushing the conversation forward. Also, over the past four years, he has personally worked to overhaul our formal and informal seminar series, to the mutual benefit of the faculty and students in the group.

On Advising and Research

JP has mentored nearly all Macro OB students, even though he formally works with only a few. He always makes the time and effort to discuss research and develop new ideas, regardless of whether or not he is in an authorship role on the project. His door is always open, and he makes time to discuss research ideas, provide feedback on students’ writing, push students to a new level of rigor, and provide much needed emotional support. JP is authentically excited about developing students into young scholars, and is always willing to talk about ideas at every stage in the research process. According to one student, “On more than one occasion, I have walked into JP’s office with a jumble of related research strands and left with a clear research question and a preliminary empirical strategy.”

On Fostering a Scholarly Community

JP consistently goes out of his way to make the department a better place to be a PhD student. He has taken on a huge load in coordinating, listening to, helping, and generally making sure that the Macro OB students and faculty come together as a group, often acting as a bridge between the students and the faculty. He has a knack for clarifying bureaucratese, and takes the time to explain departmental policies and procedures to students, soothing simmering frustrations in the process. JP is also known for helping students navigate conferences and connect with resources around campus. 

Exemplar

“JP is the Swiss Army Knife of our faculty. His willingness to help out and just about any problem or topic makes him a fantastic person to have as our liaison.”

“JP is the glue that holds Macro OB together. Even though he is junior faculty, every day he goes out of his way to make us better researchers.”

“When I imagine who I wish to be as a junior faculty member, I view JP as a role model. As I see it, that’s the highest praise I can give.”