Mark Huber is director of the Institute for Leadership Advancement in the Terry College of Business and plays a leadership role with the UGA Teaching Academy.
Where did you earn degrees and what are your current responsibilities at UGA?
Ph.D. in Management Information Systems, UGA M.A. in Management and Supervision, Central Michigan University B.S. in Biology, North Georgia College. I am director of the Terry College’s Institute for Leadership Advancement, a senior lecturer in the management information systems department, a member of the executive committee of the Teaching Academy, and I am one of three faculty members leading the Teaching Academy Teaching Fellows Program, a teaching and mentoring program for early-career faculty. I have about 330 students this semester, and I advise the Society for Management Information Systems, a student organization that won an international award for best chapter in 2010.
When did you come to UGA and what brought you here?
I came the first time in 1986 to teach Air Force R.O.T.C. I left in 1996 but returned again in 1999 to join the MIS faculty.
What are your favorite courses and why?
I don’t really have a favorite course—I enjoy teaching topics that encourage students to think and to grow professionally and personally.
What interests you about your field?
It is always changing, and we have great people and some of the best toys.
What are some highlights of your career at UGA?
Most recently, I was named director of the Terry College’s Institute for Leadership Advancement. I think that is quite an honor. As a teacher, the awards that I’ve won from student organizations are very special to me since they come from the people with whom I am trying to connect. Being named to the UGA Teaching Academy and working on its executive committee with truly gifted teachers has helped me grow and become a better teacher.
How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching and vice versa?
As a senior lecturer, I am primarily focused on teaching rather than research. It is my students and colleagues who inspire me to be the best that I can be.
What do you hope students gain from their classroom experience with you?
An ability to appreciate and resolve ambiguous situations. Life doesn’t come with a syllabus. I don’t tell students what to think, but I challenge them to think about class materials and their connections to larger issues.
Describe your ideal student.
One that wears red and black (just kidding). A student who is present and engaged in class and pushes me to help them stay that way—and students who ask “why?”
Favorite place to be/thing to do on campus is…
On the UGA Outdoor Challenge course and being in the moment
Beyond the UGA campus, I like to…
Spend time with family, be outdoors, shoot photos, read and just enjoy life in general.
Community/civic involvement includes….
Founding member, former president and current member of the Smithgall Woods State Conservation Area Friends of Georgia State Parks Chapter. Most of my other activities focus around student organizations.
Favorite book/movie?
Books: The Seasons series by Edwin Way Teale and A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold. Movies: The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Proudest moment at UGA?
Earning my Ph.D., followed by talking with students after they’ve graduated and hearing that they are successful and enjoying what they are doing.