2008 Woodie Awards
Robert Strong named professor of the year
Carnegie Foundation recognizes UMaine professor for commitment to education and community
Rhiannon Sawtelle
Issue date: 12/3/07 Section: News
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A professor of finance on campus, Strong received the award in Washington, D.C. earlier this semester. Nominated by the University of Maine Alumni Association, the CASE award, established in 1981, is a national award to recognize an undergraduate professor's commitment to education and community.
A professor at the university for 24 years, Strong also lectured at Penn State for three years while working on his Ph.D. and has taught summers at Maine Maritime Academy and Harvard University.
Strong teaches investment and financial derivatives at both the undergraduate and graduate levels at UMaine.
"Business is a topic that is here to stay, constantly changing and generally already of interest to people. It also directly affects everyone," Strong said.
Strong is also the advisor to the Student Portfolio Investment Fund of the University of Maine Foundation, a student group on campus that manages a $1.2 million portfolio as part of the University Endowment Fund. Open to all UMaine undergraduates, SPIFFY manages money to benefit the university. Students travel to New York once a year to meet with executives of investment firms and mingle with people at the New York Stock Exchange.
"We have received great publicity because of this event, and have attracted a number of students to UMaine because of the program," Strong noted.
"I definitely enjoy my experience a lot. SPIFFY members always feel so fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated advisor," Anh Do, vice president of Portfolio Strategies and Bonds for SPIFFY, said.
Strong stays busy with his many hobbies and organizations. He enjoys golf, fly fishing, sea kayaking and "just about any outdoor activity," he said.
"He's very concerned and maintains relationships with students at a personal level. We can always come talk to him, not just about materials in class, but anything about the finance and business world. You will always have a nice chat," Do said.
"His expertise, dedication and ethics make him a professional colleague and decision maker of absolute first rank," Jim Conlon, CEO of Bangor Savings Bank, said in a university press release.
Strong graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point with a degree in engineering. He received his master's degree in business administration from Boston University and a Ph.D. from Penn State in finance.
Strong has published more than 75 articles in business journals and books on finance. He has also written three textbooks used in over 100 universities worldwide.
"I've found that academics is the best job in the world for me," he noted in the press release.
"His dedication, knowledge and experience really makes a difference in the education of thousands of students. It's because of professors like him that makes the academic experience at UMaine a great one. His class is my favorite one," Do added.
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