Arvind Mahajan named Piper Professor for excellence in teaching

Mays finance professor Arvind Mahajan is one of 10 professors across Texas to receive the Piper Professor Awards this year.

Since 1958, these awards have recognized educators in the state of Texas who exhibit superior teaching. Recipients are selected by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation on the basis of nominations submitted by each college or university in Texas.

Mahajan was recognized at the Mays Business School commencement and at the spring faculty/staff meeting within Mays.

He is the first Mays faculty member to receive the award in more than two decades. The late marketing Professor Jeffrey Conant received it in 1994.

Mahajan said he finds it hard to articulate the level of pride he feels about receiving the award. “I was quite excited to be nominated by the university and humbled to be selected at the state level,” he said. “There is nothing in higher education that is bigger than this.”

A year ago, Mahajan was named a Presidential Professor for Teaching Excellence for Texas A&M, and was recognized at commencement.

Mays Dean Eli Jones said he is proud of Mahajan, and that he considers him deserving of the honor. “Dr. Mahajan is one of our most tireless colleagues – always willing to do what is needed to take our students to the next level and to advance the business school’s progress,” he said. “This level of recognition is rare, and long-lasting, as he will retain this and the Presidential Professor titles for the remainder of his career.”

Mahajan has taught at multiple levels in the areas of international finance and corporate finance. He developed and taught one of the first doctoral-level seminar on international finance in the U.S., and has taught various MBA, Executive MBA and undergraduate-level courses.

At Texas A&M University, Mahajan serves as associate dean for graduate programs for Mays Business School. Additionally, he is the Texas A&M University System Regents Professor, Lamar Savings Professor of Finance and director of the CFA Institute Partnership Program.

Mahajan received his Ph.D. from Georgia State University in 1980, an MBA from the University of Scranton in 1975, and a Bachelor’s of Commerce (Honors) degree from the University of Delhi in 1972.