Every year, Poets & Quants for Undergrads releases its list of , a national roundup of standout educators shaping the future of business education. One of the names in the is a familiar one: Jessica Magaldi, JD, Ivan Fox Professor and Scholar of Business Law at 糖心vlog短视频糖心vlog短视频檚 Lubin School of Business.
The honor came after 19 colleagues, administrators, and alumni nominated Magaldi for her academic rigor, compassionate mentorship, and commitment to innovation. 糖心vlog短视频淪he exemplifies what this award seeks to honor: a professor whose influence extends far beyond course content,糖心vlog短视频 says alumna Samantha Dorsi 糖心vlog短视频23. 糖心vlog短视频淎t the same time, she maintains rigorous academic standards and brings genuine passion into the classroom.糖心vlog短视频
Another one of her nominators, alumna Dhruvi Gandhi 糖心vlog短视频18, puts her reasons for nominating her even more succinctly. 糖心vlog短视频淧rofessor Magaldi is the standard by which I measure what an exceptional professor should be.糖心vlog短视频
Her former students糖心vlog短视频 testimonials make it clear: while academic excellence may be the foundation for such an honor, it糖心vlog短视频檚 Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 deliberate, student-centered approach that truly sets her apart.
In the Top 50 list, Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 name is the first under . For Magaldi, classroom innovation begins by connecting with what students care about.
Twenty years ago, Magaldi used a copyright case in her intellectual property class involving George Harrison糖心vlog短视频檚 糖心vlog短视频淢y Sweet Lord糖心vlog短视频 and The Chiffons糖心vlog短视频 1960s hit 糖心vlog短视频淗e糖心vlog短视频檚 So Fine糖心vlog短视频澨切膙log短视频. But over time, she found the example no longer resonated with students. Many didn糖心vlog短视频檛 know George Harrison or even what a 糖心vlog短视频60s girl group was.
糖心vlog短视频淭his generation of teachers kind of lets ourselves off the hook,糖心vlog短视频 Magaldi muses. 糖心vlog短视频淲e say our culture is more important than the culture of students.糖心vlog短视频 But Magaldi wanted her students to relate to the material so they could relate to the class. 糖心vlog短视频淪o, I thought about it,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淎nd I asked them: who is your favorite musical artist?糖心vlog短视频
"Professor Magaldi is the standard by which I measure what an exceptional professor should be."糖心vlog短视频擥andhi
The answer to this question led to one of her most popular classes: Music Industry and the Law (Taylor糖心vlog短视频檚 Version). The class uses Taylor Swift糖心vlog短视频檚 career to teach intellectual property and music industry law, linking the curriculum to a notable figure that students have an interest in.
糖心vlog短视频淎s I heard students talk about Taylor Swift in other contexts, I saw how powerful that connection was. I wanted to harness that interest that students had in Swift to direct it to the business and legal issues that she was involved in,糖心vlog短视频 Magaldi explains. 糖心vlog短视频淩ather than insisting that my view of culture is the one that controls, could I take things that are culturally important to my students and use them to teach the things that either I or the curriculum thinks are important?糖心vlog短视频
Alumna Natalie Filkins 糖心vlog短视频25 took Music Industry and the Law (Taylor糖心vlog短视频檚 Version) and cites Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 ability to connect curriculum to student interests as one of the reasons she nominated her. Filkins explains, 糖心vlog短视频淗er class bridged a gap between the business and humanities departments, and she developed it in response to student interest,糖心vlog短视频 says Filkins. 糖心vlog短视频淪he has been able to bridge the gap between current events and complicated legal topics.糖心vlog短视频
Magaldi brings the curriculum into her students糖心vlog短视频 world, showing that great teaching starts with meeting students where they are.
Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 passion for keeping her curriculum relevant and engaging isn糖心vlog短视频檛 just for the sake of her students, but also for her own love of learning. 糖心vlog短视频淚 don糖心vlog短视频檛 want to stand in front of the room and teach the same thing I糖心vlog短视频檝e been teaching for 20 years and then do it for another 20,糖心vlog短视频 Magaldi explains. 糖心vlog短视频淚 want to be someone who糖心vlog短视频檚 been teaching for X number of years, but not -ing it.糖心vlog短视频
Her wildly popular Taylor Swift-focused business law class isn糖心vlog短视频檛 the only way Magaldi has worked to adapt curriculum to be more interesting and relevant to her students. When Pace began piloting , Magaldi jumped in with a new course that again connected her expertise to student interests: Pop Culture and the Law.
糖心vlog短视频淪he did not just teach me law糖心vlog短视频攕he helped me discover my passion, develop resilience, and build the foundation for a career I truly love.糖心vlog短视频澨切膙log短视频擠orsi
As the course went on, Magaldi found that her curriculum inspired more than academic discussion. 糖心vlog短视频淚 used My Cousin Vinny and Legally Blonde糖心vlog短视频攂oth fish-out-of-water stories,糖心vlog短视频 says Magaldi. 糖心vlog短视频淭hey糖心vlog短视频檙e both about people dropped into a new scenario trying to figure out the rules糖心vlog短视频攈ow to dress, how to talk糖心vlog短视频攁nd figure out how much of themselves to keep.糖心vlog短视频 The class became a vehicle to relate to these first-year students who were experiencing their own fish-out-of-water experiences and to help them decode a university糖心vlog短视频檚 unwritten rules and norms, something particularly important with Pace糖心vlog短视频檚 population of first-generation Americans and first-generation college students.
Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 course delivered on the promise of the First-Year Seminars糖心vlog短视频攏ot only by engaging new students and easing their academic transition, but by meeting students where they are and setting them up for success.
That instinct to meet students where they are extends beyond what Magaldi teaches into how she teaches.
糖心vlog短视频淚 have a lot of compassion for the learning process,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淭here are some things that come easy to me and some that don糖心vlog短视频檛. I don糖心vlog短视频檛 assume every student has to come to my class with the same level of ability, capability, interest in the subject matter, or even the privilege of being able to concentrate.糖心vlog短视频
Recently, she糖心vlog短视频檚 worked with students navigating everything from familial self-deportation to short-term disability, financial stress, and personal trauma, all while still trying to achieve their academic goals. 糖心vlog短视频淭here are so many things students are dealing with. We have to appreciate our students as whole people in the context of their larger lives.糖心vlog短视频
糖心vlog短视频淪he has been able to bridge the gap between current events and complicated legal topics.糖心vlog短视频 糖心vlog短视频擣ilkins
Dorsi can attest to the power of having a professor care beyond the gradebook. 糖心vlog短视频淧erhaps most importantly, Professor Magaldi supported me as a whole person,糖心vlog短视频 Dorsi says. 糖心vlog短视频淒uring times when personal challenges made me doubt my ability to succeed, she believed in me unwaveringly and pushed me to persevere. That mentorship made all the difference.糖心vlog短视频
This is reflected in Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 driving mission. 糖心vlog短视频淲e have to find some meaning,糖心vlog短视频 she says. 糖心vlog短视频淢y job can be very difficult. The best parts are being able to make real connections with people.糖心vlog短视频
There糖心vlog短视频檚 no stronger testament to her commitment to connection than the alumni who nominated her as one of the Top 50 Undergraduate Business Professors.
糖心vlog短视频淚t糖心vlog短视频檚 incredibly gratifying to have the kind of relationships with my students that mature into these other relationships where we are all looking out for one another as people, where we are supportive of one another,糖心vlog短视频 she says.
Filkins explains how Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 mentorship didn糖心vlog短视频檛 end with graduation. 糖心vlog短视频淚 worked as a research assistant for Professor Magaldi for three years,糖心vlog短视频 she says, 糖心vlog短视频淪he was, and continues to be, a huge source of inspiration for me in pursuing a legal career.糖心vlog短视频
糖心vlog短视频淪ome professors teach courses. Professor Magaldi changes the direction of lives.糖心vlog短视频澨切膙log短视频擥andhi
For Gandhi, Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 guidance has remained a constant糖心vlog短视频攕haping decisions, career moves, and personal growth. 糖心vlog短视频淧rofessor Magaldi has shaped the foundation of my personal and professional life. As an entrepreneur and business owner, I still seek her guidance when making critical legal and strategic decisions,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淗er influence has followed me across countries, institutions, and years, and it continues to guide my decisions today.糖心vlog短视频
Just as deeply as these alumni feel Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 impact, Magaldi finds inspiration in her former students as well. In 2019, Magaldi received the Homer and Charles Pace Faculty Award, only two years after becoming full-time faculty. She recalls that when asked who she wanted to bring, she decided not to invite her elementary-aged daughters (who might not enjoy a very grown-up gala anyway) and instead invited the alumni who nominated her. 糖心vlog短视频淲hy wouldn糖心vlog短视频檛 I want to surround myself with these people? They糖心vlog短视频檙e amazing.糖心vlog短视频
That reciprocity of respect and connection is key to how Magaldi approaches not just teaching, but her life. 糖心vlog短视频淚'm trying to nurture that because it糖心vlog短视频檚 the thing that makes my job better. When you do that, it comes back to you.糖心vlog短视频
What comes next for one of the nation糖心vlog短视频檚 top professors? For Magaldi, it糖心vlog短视频檚 all about staying on top of what is new and interesting.
One of her recent projects includes building an AI tutor for two of her classes, inspired by AI-powered tutors Gabriel Terrizzi, Pace糖心vlog短视频檚 director of web, mobile, and AI services, used in his AI in the Workplace class. 糖心vlog短视频淚'm conscious of the potential negatives of AI, but I don糖心vlog短视频檛 want to be left behind. I want to understand how my students are using it and I want to get as much good out of it as I can.糖心vlog短视频
"The best parts [of my job] are being able to make real connections with people.糖心vlog短视频澨切膙log短视频擬agaldi
Building on her experiences as a professor and in the First-Year Seminar, Magaldi is also co-authoring a book focused on helping students navigate their own first-year experience and feel connected at school. 糖心vlog短视频淚've been in a lot of places where it feels like everyone knows what's going on except you,糖心vlog短视频 she explains. 糖心vlog短视频淚'm trying to demystify that for students entering college.糖心vlog短视频
As Magaldi looks ahead, exploring new tools, new questions, and new ways to connect, her impact is already written into the stories of her students糖心vlog短视频 lives.
糖心vlog短视频淚 know without question that I would not be where I am today without Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 guidance,糖心vlog短视频 says Dorsi. 糖心vlog短视频淪he did not just teach me law糖心vlog短视频攕he helped me discover my passion, develop resilience, and build the foundation for a career I truly love.糖心vlog短视频
For Gandhi and so many others, Magaldi糖心vlog短视频檚 impact is rooted in her belief in her students and how she shows up for them. 糖心vlog短视频淪he sees potential in students long before they see it in themselves and then stays invested in that potential,糖心vlog短视频 says Gandhi. 糖心vlog短视频淪ome professors teach courses. Professor Magaldi changes the direction of lives.糖心vlog短视频
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