Hi all,
I was asked to give a brief talk today on my favorite Stern professor — so thought I’d share what I have written here on the blog as well. Happy Spring! -Matt
Q: Who is your favorite Stern faculty member and/or what is your favorite course taken so far?
Hi My Name is MATT and I am going to talk today about my favorite Stern professor A MAN A MYTH A LEGEND–who has mastered the mystic art of CONTROLLING THE VOLUME OF HIS VOICE and MODULATING THE PACE of his delivery. Who can turn even the driest material into engaging, dynamic, and–frankly–wonderful lectures.
Professor William L. Silber. The Marcus Nadler Professor of Finance and Economics. White-haired Legend of the core MBA-required Foundations of Finance class. Internationally-recognized scholar of dynamism in securities markets. And First class oddball.
Odd indeed–but in the best possible way. Hilarious, off beat, RANDOMLY LOUD, and more than anything passionate about his specialization.
Finance scared me. I didn’t think I could do it. If the landscape of MBA is organized in a Braveheart style binary between the Poets and the Quants (Or quantitative-leaning students), I am most definitively a poet… I majored in English in college. I worked in media reviewing film script and pitches for six years. I had forgotten almost all the math that once rented tenuous apartment space in my brain. I was worried.
But the most valuable lesson Silber has taught me isn’t about Arbitrage, CAPM, or interest rates, but rather the fact that just because you haven’t been exposed to something…doesn’t mean it has to dominate you. (Like a less risky, more rewarding portfolio would dominate a lesser security as an investment.)
Professor Silber’s PASSION for finance comes through in his lectures–and they are the most engaging I’ve had so far here at Stern. They made me WANT to learn.
And now I’m ready to come out and say it–my deep dark secret — I LIKE FINANCE.
Silber got me here. And that’s why he is my favorite professor. But then again, Thursday is our Midterm. So, depending on how that goes, I’ll revisit this issue next week.