A B-School Prof's Infectious Enthusiasm

An Ohio State B-school professor loves to see his students catch fire. And he's not above bursting into song to accomplish that

by Paula Lehman

Paul Weinstock
Senior Lecture
Ohio State University

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BusinessWeek asked business undergrads to tell us about their favorite professors. Here is another installment in the series.

Professor Paul Weinstock's favorite thing about teaching is the lightbulbs.

"Being able to help my students think better and understand things they didn't understand before gives me a kick," says the professor at Ohio State University's Fisher College of Business. "I enjoy being an enabler. You can almost see the lightbulbs going off in their heads." Weinstock's enthusiasm for teaching and unique style made him the favorite teacher chosen by the majority of OSU students surveyed by BusinessWeek in 2007.

Weinstock is passionate about the material, and his attitude is infectious. When asked about one thing she learned from Weinstock's classes, Erica Enouen, a former student and recent OSU graduate, didn't respond with a business concept or principle. Instead she said: "He taught me how important it is that you love what you do." Weinstock even tells his class at the beginning of the year that he hates holidays because they mess up his teaching schedule.

Once a tutor for the LSATs, he pushes his students to think critically. This shows in his exams, which account for the majority of students' grades. He makes extra credit questions extremely difficult in order to push students to master the concept being examined. Students say the hour-and-48-minute classes cover a lot of ground, but the time flies because of Weinstock's unique style of teaching. He often breaks down concepts into many small fragments and carefully puts the pieces together so that students can see the whole picture. In doing this, he also makes the material more applicable to the real world.

How to Get Free Toothbrushes

"Part of his teaching style is to personalize the material," says Enouen. "He connects it to his own experiences. He's willing to share any of the experiences he's had if it will help you retain the information."

These experiences, says Weinstock, "bring out your humanity," which makes him more approachable in spite of the 30-year age difference with his students. For example, Weinstock boasts that he hasn't had to pay for toothpaste for a decade because he uses coupons that make them free—a concept he teaches in his finance class when teaching students about saving money.

He often uses this sort of example to keep students alert. One example he uses to exemplify unjust enrichment features a OSU student who comes home from vacation to find his house painted blue and gold—the colors of football rival the University of Michigan. What could be more unjust than that? Weinstock, adjusting the story slightly each time he tells it to show how accountability changes hands, goes on to explain who is liable in the situation.

Musical Inspiration

"I've never been to a class of his where I've been bored or had my mind wander," says senior Kurt Dahm. "He's sensational, so he holds your attention."

Weinstock also has some more unconventional ways of relating material to his class. For example, when students look as if they're trudging through the mud, Weinstock often finds inspiration in the topic and bursts into song—reflecting on his experiences in local choirs. "If they laugh a little bit, they're more interested in coming to class," Weinstock says. "When you do something a little unusual, they'll listen."

Paula Lehman is an editorial assistant for BusinessWeek in New York.