Deputy Chairperson of the Business Management Department Myles Bassell is a mentor to many. 聽Early in his teaching career, students insisted on calling him Professor Bassell, even though he told them to call him Myles. But then one student settled on the moniker 鈥渃oach,鈥� and it stuck.
Almost 20 years later nearly all students call him Coach B. As he frequently reminds his students, 鈥淵our success is my number one priority.鈥�
Bassell’s research regarding student preferences and best practices in online higher education was vital in the program鈥檚 development. However, the director of the new online graduate program in business administration quickly adds that the offering 鈥渋s the result of the combined effort of many.鈥�
With a doctorate and years of experience working in industry and as a business consultant, Bassell focuses his expertise on marketing and marketing analytics. He teaches students how to use statistical software like Excel, SPSS, Tableau, Power BI, R Studio, Voyant, Alteryx, and Python. He believes it鈥檚 essential that students demonstrate proficiency with statistical software and include class projects in their portfolios.
Determined to make his students job-ready, Bassell indicates, 鈥淢y students learn how to perform conjoint, cluster, sentiment, and factor analysis, as well as multiple regression, logistic regression, and perceptual mapping.鈥� Companies 鈥渉ave vast amounts of data, but many don鈥檛 have information,鈥� says Bassell. 鈥淚 tell my students how to mine the data, analyze the data, and visualize the data so that the company will have information to make decisions.鈥�
Learning to apply statistics using software to generate statistical outputs and then prepare a written analysis is not always an easy process. Still, Bassell鈥檚 confidence in his students is absolute. 鈥淚 tell them, you can do it, yes you can, yes you will,鈥� he says. 鈥淎nd they do.鈥�
The new online program, he says, is framed around the needs and wants of students, and the program delivers a rigorous educational experience that follows AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business) accreditation standards. Courses in the online M.S. in business administration program take place over eight-week semesters鈥攈alf as long as the traditional version鈥攖o reduce the chance of students needing to drop out midway due to other important family or work commitments. The program delivers asynchronous courses, meaning busy students can learn anytime, anywhere.
This structure, says Bassell, befits 可乐视频鈥檚 role as an 鈥渆ngine of social mobility鈥� because it allows students the flexibility to work for a living and complete their degree. 聽鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of our role in society, to provide access [to education],鈥� he says.
Bassell鈥檚 leadership role in the rollout of a new degree is the most recent of many accomplishments for the professor. The recipient, over the past decade, of multiple Excellence in Teaching and Excellence in Service awards from the Koppelman School of Business, Bassell also received a Tow Distinguished Teacher Award for the 2015鈥�16 school year.
While Bassell appreciates these awards and their acknowledgment of the support he gives to students, he sees himself as part of a team whose members are all working toward the same goal. For Bassell, that means students always come first, and this is a coach鈥檚 promise he is focused on keeping.
