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 Name: Felix Kwan
Highest Degree Earned: PhD in economics
Courses Taught: Business Economics, International Economics, Corporate Finance, Financial Portfolio Analysis
Hometowns: Dumaguete, Philippines, St. Louis, Missouri
Career History:
Felix worked as Production Supervisor at Pfizer (Phil.), Inc. for a couple of years in the late 70s, then as an Industrial Economist at a private research institute in Manila for several years in the 1980s.
He came to St. Louis, and got his PhD in Economics at Washington University in 1992.
He taught at Mankato State University (Minnesota) and the University of Idaho before coming to Maryville University.
Why did you choose to teach at Maryville University in St. Louis?
I wanted to be in a school with a primary focus on students and teaching, and Maryville has this in its wide array of academic programs. Maryville also has a great strength in its flexibility--both in terms of offering new programs and in adjusting its current programs, to adapt to its changing environment.
I also wanted to come back and settle down in St. Louis. And Maryville's location in a suburb of St. Louis is one of its attractions.
Can you describe your classroom environment?
Classes at Maryville are typically small. My MBA classes range from 6 to 25 students. I always strive for an active-learning environment, where students get engaged in the topics, and learn how to connect classroom concepts with their own work experiences, and to apply economic theory to real situations that we hear or read about in the media.
What do you enjoy most about teaching at Maryville University?
The interaction with students. Over the years, I have learned a lot from my MBA students' as they share their wide-ranging experiences at work, as well as the various perspectives that they bring to the class discussions. I have continually been inspired to study many economic theories more deeply, from the questions that students raise in class.
What has the coursework been like in your classes?
I employ active-learning strategies, to help students acquire a solid understanding of economic concepts, and to help them appreciate the relevance of these concepts in their own careers and daily lives.
Many students have described the coursework as intensive, heavy perhaps, but worthwhile.
How does teaching at the graduate level differ from teaching at the undergraduate level?
The biggest difference is the capacity of the students to connect theory with reality. MBA students have a solid anchor of real-world professional experience to base their understanding of concepts upon. Discussion of these concepts at the MBA level can therefore delve into deeper and more extensive implications, in contrast to the undergraduate level.
Do you have any advice for undergraduate students thinking about graduate school?
Acquire some real-world professional experience first, before coming back to get an MBA. This does two things: first, it provides one with a context that makes the MBA coursework all become more relevant and easier to grasp; second, it allows one to interact more fully with one's colleagues, thereby enriching everyone?s graduate-school experience.
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