Harry Davis, the Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management in the Graduate School of Business

Harry Davis, the Roger L. and Rachel M. Goetz Distinguished Service Professor of Creative Management in the Graduate School of Business, has recently been characterized by his students as ìawesomeî and recognized as a teacher who will ìgo the extra mile.î

These attributes are the essence of the GSB Phoenix Award, which Davis has received this year from the Class of 2001. Established in 1997, the Phoenix Award is given each year by the graduating class to a faculty member who has enriched the student learning experience through voluntary and active involvement in extracurricular and community activities.

ìI have a deep commitment to education in the broad sense,î said Davis, who routinely advises students on a range of personal and career-related issues. Additionally, he has been involved in a number of non-classroom activities during the past year, including serving on a task force for a new GSB student residence hall. Davis also will speak at the GSBís convocation Sunday, June 10.

Moreover, his commitment to students and his popularity extend beyond the current graduating class. Davis often speaks at alumni events and school-sponsored conferences to which alumni flock. He talks to newly admitted students, and he is an ardent supporter of student-led programs and activities.

ìIíve always been overwhelmed by the abilities of our students at the business school to create important programs and become part of the institution,î he said. ìOne of the greatest sources of satisfaction in the 38 years Iíve been teaching here is working with and supporting the students.î

Davis has created his own share of student programs during his tenure as a professor and 10 years as Deputy Dean of the GSB. In 1978, he initiated the New Product Laboratory, a two-quarter course in which teams of students work with companies to establish new products.

In 1989, he founded LEAD, or Leadership Effectiveness and Development, a required communications skills course for all first-year students. Additionally, he initiated the Saturday M.B.A. program, and he teaches a course that deals with leadership and creativity issues.

ìThis honor is deeply satisfying, and it means a great deal to me,î Davis said.

Davis received an A.B. in sociology in 1959 and an M.B.A. in marketing in 1960 from Dartmouth College. He earned an A.M. in sociology in 1969 and a Ph.D. in marketing in 1970 from Northwestern University. He joined the GSB faculty in 1963 and served as a deputy dean from 1983 to 1993.