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Ted Paterson Wins Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award

Ted Paterson, Ph.D. student in the UNL College of Business Administration management department, was awarded the Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award at the Office of Graduate Studies’ Graduate Studies Awards Reception.

Paterson, who is originally from Gardnerville, Nev., received his undergraduate degree in business administration from Brigham Young University and worked as a financial advisor for 10 years before pursuing his doctorate.

 “I knew I wanted to get into the classroom. Both my parents were educators and I felt being a teacher would better utilize my skills,” Paterson said. “I knew Nebraska had a strong academic tradition in leadership and so that’s why I came here.”

He believes his greatest strength is his passion for teaching and engaging students in the classroom.

“I enjoy working with students and there’s no substitute for that,” he said. “Students know when you sincerely want them to succeed. I try to keep students actively involved through discussions, case studies and breakout sessions.”

Paterson currently teaches a new course at CBA called Building Ethical and Sustainable Organizations.

Ted Paterson

Ted Paterson teaching at CBA

“It’s been fun to design my own curriculum and have some freedom in what I want to cover,” he said. “I try and follow in the tradition of Dr. Fred Luthans looking at positive organizational behavior. I like to study what works in organizations, in particular the construct of thriving at work.”

The new course evolved from an honors course taught by Dr. Mary Uhl-Bien.

“Dr. Uhl-Bien provided me with a framework of what she had been doing, and then I had to adapt it to become part of the regular curriculum at CBA,” he said. “It’s one of the three required courses for all leadership track majors.”

Paterson plans on going into the job market in August 2013 to begin the process of finding a teaching job with the intent of graduating in 2014.
Published: February 27, 2013