D'Amore-McKim School of Business Assistant Professor Mary Steffel was recently named to the Poets&Quants for Undergraduates Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors list. The list compiled by Poets&Quants for Undergraduates is varied, but each professor has been chosen for their passion to motivate their students to reach their highest potential.
Steffel has been at D'Amore-McKim since 2015. She currently teaches courses in consumer behavior, marketing and society, and business and social impact. She is a fellow at the United States Office of Evaluation Sciences. Previously, she served as a fellow on the White House Social and Behavioral Sciences Team.
She knew she wanted to be a business school professor when she finally realized that business isn't about stuff it's about people.
Steffel's most current research includes the study of consumer judgement and decision-making.
“I study consumer judgment and decision-making: when people call upon others to help them make decisions, why they struggle when making decisions for other people, and how to help people make better decisions for themselves and others,” she said. “I find that people delegate decisions more often than we might think, that people often make different choices for other than they make for themselves, and that good choice architecture can help improve people's choices.
Read more of Steffel's profile below:
Q:Name of the professor you most admire and why:
I most admire my mother, Nancy Steffel, who is a professor of education at the University of Indianapolis. Her enthusiasm is contagious—she inspires everyone around her to be the best versions of themselves!
Q:What do you enjoy most about teaching undergraduate business students?
Undergraduate business students are eager to learn and can't wait to get out and have an impact.
Q:What's the biggest challenge?
One of the biggest challenges is teaching students how to overcome their intuitive biases and engage in evidence-based decision making.
Q:What is the most impressive thing one of your undergraduate students has done?
I've had several students start their own businesses—I'm so impressed by that!
Check out Steffel's full profile on the Poets&Quants for Undergraduates website.
