Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.

-Henry Brooks Adams

Education is a social process ... Education is growth ... Education is, not a preparation for life; education is life itself.

-John Dewey

Professional Philosophy Statement: To make a difference in people's lives through expert advice, personal empowerment, and compassion.

Reflections on Distinctive Teaching

I am a teacher. Its my calling. I've known it now for about 20 years. I live and breathe to have a positive impact on my students. I love teaching. My greatest satisfactions come from watching students progress and evolve into more learned adults. It's all about building personal empowerment with my students. It's all about fostering a learning-by-doing model of learning. I also love spreading the gospel of marketing, which to me, is the lifeblood of any organization.

Am I the best teacher? No, not by far. I am still learning, still evolving as a teacher. Is my teaching distinctive? Yes. I constantly innovate in my classroom, develop and enhance course materials and projects, introduce new courses into the curriculum, and advise, counsel, and mentor my students, former students, and alumni.

While I have been at Stetson, I have always told my students that my top priority is to help them learn and to value the learning experience. My role is as a facilitator of student learning whose commitment is to empower students by providing a supportive, active, and applied learning environment. In many ways, however, I feel I am an even better teacher outside the classroom than in it. While I feel I do an excellent job in the classroom teaching marketing, I feel I frequently do an even better job outside the classroom counseling students about careers, educational opportunities, and life.

A small school such as Stetson University -- that emphasizes an educational environment of trust, support, and respect in which teacher and students learn cooperatively from one another -- is the ideal place for me to teach. I have a need and desire to know each individual who comes into my classroom to learn. I need to know if students are having problems, either with the course material or with other concerns, that will hinder their educational process. And I need to know when my students are succeeding, so I can share the joy of learning and personal growth that I see in them so often. It is these faculty-student partnerships that are a hallmark of my experience at Stetson. And it is because of these partnerships and out of respect for my students and their families that I have attended almost every single graduation at Stetson.

In each of my classes, I also stress "real world" applicability through textbook selection, in-class examples and discussions, case analyses, experiential exercises, and class projects. For example, my Principles of Marketing students are required to produce a semester-long project that focuses on self-marketing (see Career Journal), a project that helps them better understand the abstract marketing concepts while applying them to a useful and well-known project — themselves. In my Advertising and Promotion Management class, students not only learn about the subject, but work with a real client in assessing their promotion needs and developing a detailed marketing report (see IMCP). In the Marketing Seminar course, students read, think, reflect, discuss, reflect, develop, integrate, and enhance their knowledge of marketing by reading numerous topical books written by industry experts and practitioners (see recent Seminar Syllabus).

I also try to be as accessible to my students as possible, whether through office hours, by telephone (home or office), or electronically. I take my role of professor and adviser very seriously, and the students know I am available to them when they need it.

Some of my favorite comments from the many course evaluations since receiving promotion and tenure in 1998 are:

• Dr. Hansen is an awesome teacher! Very nice, approachable, and very knowledgeable.
• This is what college is supposed to be about – collaborative learning, stimulating discussions, professors learning with students.
• Dr. Hansen made learning the material fun and his enthusiasm made me like marketing even more.
• Dr. Hansen is a real genuine person who is focused on all students receiving an excellent education.

In summary, my goal is to continue improving as a teacher through lifelong learning, serving as a role model for my students in their education and professional quests. I am an educator, role model, mentor… I empower my students to learn and grow as individuals.

Innovation

I am a self-proclaimed marketing geek, and am not only always interested in marketing trends and developments, but also in methods we can deliver marketing education to our students.

Over the years, I have developed and introduced Gender Issues in Marketing, Internet Marketing, Global Marketing, and the Marketing Seminar. All but the Seminar were introduced prior to earning promotion and tenure in 1998.

View Dr. Hansen's Complete CV