Bo Becker awarded the SSE Pedagogical Award 2019
Professor Becker is the second recipient of the Pedagogical Award, which was instituted in 2018. An SSE alum, Becker joined the Stockholm School of Economics faculty in 2013 after having taught at several business schools in the US. He has a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. Since joining SSE, Professor Becker has poured his experience, knowledge and passion into his role as a teacher at the Master and MBA programs at SSE.
"To see my students make progress on something that's important and useful to them – especially when they have done better than they expected – that's the best thing about teaching," says Bo Becker.
His drive and passion have resulted in a fundamental overhaul of the courses and teaching philosophies at the Department of Finance. Under his tutelage, the Master program in Finance has gone from an academically oriented program to a more modern design, where teaching career-relevant skills and closely matching faculty expertise and course content are two of the key components. Changes include an increasing use of case studies, and an increase in the offering of data science-related courses.
"You can't learn engagement if you don't care," says Bo Becker. "In the case classroom, no one is in the audience – everybody is a participant. That means students care more, there's more at stake for them, and they have a lot more fun. Together, this really helps with learning."
Competition and opportunity
When it comes to the future, Professor Becker expects challenges: "All our educational programs face growing competition, and that means we have to keep getting better and to keep improving our course offering. We have to look at who works here, what support they get, how we attract students, the culture at the School and what our philosophy is when it comes to teaching."
But in those challenges also lie opportunity – not least when it comes to diversity. The SSE Master programs had applications from citizens of 82 countries last year, he explains. "What our students have in common is that they are talented, ambitious and very interested in having an impact on the world. We need to make sure that we respect all this diversity and make sure our education is useful to everybody regardless of where they come from. And that we can make this school a meeting place for likeminded people who are here to pursue their career goals."
Becker's work and philosophy has made an impact beyond the Master program he heads.
"He works tirelessly to address problems and suggest improvements throughout the School. The fact that he has been able to achieve such a transformation, while at the same time being one of the most prolific researchers at the SSE with a steady stream of top publications is truly impressive. He is a role-model for us all," says Pär Åhlström, Vice President, Degree Programs.
The jury’s motivation
Professor Bo Becker is an outstanding researcher in corporate finance, with a track record of teaching at some of the very best U.S. MBA programs. He put this experience and knowledge gained into immediate use at SSE upon his arrival in 2013, where he is a highly appreciated teacher at the MSc, Executive MBA and Executive Education levels. When he came to SSE, he quickly became the driver of a fundamental overhaul of the courses and teaching philosophies at the Department of Finance, where he also acts as a mentor to faculty, particularly regarding the case method. As the program director of the MSc-program in Finance, he has changed it from a largely theoretical program, to a modern Masters-program of the kind taught at leading business schools, which focuses on teaching career-relevant skills and concepts solidly grounded in the latest research. His dedication to pedagogical development reaches well beyond his immediate surroundings and he works tirelessly to address problems and suggest improvements throughout the SSE.
