School of Business : Faculty

Faculty Awards

SBA faculty are regularly recognized for their outstanding achievements at the School of Business and professionally.

2008 Graduate Faculty Teaching Awards

Professor of the Year Award
Each year, the Graduate Business Student Association (GBSA) presents a "Professor of the Year Award." This award helps to recognize a USD Graduate School of Business Administration educator whose dedication to teaching over the last year has added great value to the experience of the students and has proved exceptional in their role as a professor.

The 2007 Professor of the Year award went to Tom Dalton, Ph.D., professor of accounting and taxation.  Tom served as the associate dean in the School of Business Administration from January 2000 until June 2004 and was designated as the Steber Professor for the 2003-2004 academic year.

He received his Ph.D. in accounting at the University of Houston in 1992 and an M.S. in business administration from San Diego State University in 1983. He has published numerous tax planning articles in professional journals and tax related research studies in academic journals. He is a certified public accountant and, prior to entering academia, was a tax consultant for Touche Ross & Co. (now Deloitte and Touche). Recent consulting activities include financial analysis of publicly traded corporations for Gradient Analytics, expert testimony on educational issues, and individual and business tax planning. He currently serves on the board of directors of the California Society of CPA's San Diego Chapter and is a chapter past president. He volunteers as an accounting advisor for non-profit entities and teaches courses in financial statement analysis, individual tax, corporate tax, partnership tax, and retirement planning. Dalton also teaches the yearly Tax Boot Camp for the CalCPA San Diego Chapter.

Professor of Impact Award
This annual award is given by the May graduating class of the MBA and IMBA students to the School of Business Administration professor who had the greatest positive impact on their overall graduate experience at USD. Each year, the professor that is selected will be announced at the graduation celebration in May.

The recipient of the 2008 Professor of Impact Award was Dirk Yandell, Ph.D., professor of economics. Yandell began at USD as an undergraduate student in 1973, completing a B.A. degree in mathematics and economics in 1977. He then earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in economics from Purdue University and returned to join the USD faculty in 1981.

Professor Yandell has taught over 20 different courses at USD. He enjoys integrating experimental methods into the classroom, and regularly receives top teaching evaluations. He received the Sears Roebuck Foundation Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership Award in 1991.

Previous Award Recipients:

2007 Professor of the Year
Professor Dirk Yandell, Ph.D., professor of economics

2007 Professor of Impact
Professor Dennis Zocco, Ph.D., professor of finance

2006 IMBA Cohort Recognized Professor
Mazur Rahman, associate professor of finance

2006 MBA Cohort Recognized Professor
Professor Dirk Yandell, Ph.D., professor of economics

2008 Undergraduate Teaching Awards

Outstanding Undegraduate Business Education Award
The Outstanding Undergraduate Business Education Award is an annual award given to a faculty member who delivers relevant, rigorous, and complete course content, provides for significant opportunities for individualized student learning, links theory to realworld applications, and provides learning that is in concert with the goals and mission of the university. Linda L. Barkacs, J.D., assistant professor of business law, is the 2008 recipient of the Outstanding Undergraduate Business Education Award. Barkacs’ primary undergraduate classes include Business Law and Negotiation.

Innovative Undergraduate Business Education Award
The Innovative Undergraduate Business Education Award is given to a faculty member who has introduced a new teaching practice or method shown to improve the current practice of teaching. Dirk Yandell, Ph.D., professor of economics, is the 2008 award recipient.

Professor of the Year
USD's Senior Class of 2008 recognized professor Linda Barkacs, J.D., as Professor of the Year for the School of Business Administration. This award was presented to Barkacs in May, 2008 at USD's 26th Annual Senior Banquet.

Previous Award Recipients

2007 Outstanding Undergraduate Business Education Award
Stephen Conroy, Ph.D., associate professor of economics

2007 Innovative Undergraduate Business Education Award
Scott Kunkel, Ph.D., associate professor of management

2007 Professor of the Year
Linda Barkacs, J.D., assistant professor of business law