Many MBA applicants feel that they are purchasing a brand when they choose a business school. However, the educational experience you will have is what is crucial to your future, and no one will affect your education more than your professors. Each Wednesday, we profile a standout professor as identified by students. Today, we focus on Peter L. Rodriguez from the University of Virginia (UVA) Darden School of Business.
Peter L. Rodriguez is an expert in the areas of international business, trade, and economic development, with a focus on corruption. He has used his PhD in economics from Princeton University to study investing—co-editing the book Angel Investing in Latin America (Darden Business Publishing, 2005)—and he is currently Darden’s senior associate dean for degree programs and chief diversity officer as well as an associate professor of business administration.
In 2009, Rodriguez received an award for outstanding teaching at Darden, and in 2007, he won the school’s John Colley Award, which recognizes those who perpetuate Darden’s tradition of close interactions between professors and students. He has written several cases for Darden on topics ranging from the recent economic difficulties in the United States, to financial challenges emerging in Vietnam, to the effects of corruption and the economic impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Because of his personal interest in business developments in Latin America and Africa, Rodriguez has both planned and participated in Global Business Experiences (courses in which students travel to countries outside the United States to explore the culture and business environment there firsthand for several weeks) taking place in those areas.
Students with whom we spoke view Rodriguez, known to many as simply “P-Rod,” as a very caring professor who pays special attention to each student, asking about their families and remembering their concerns. One second year told us Rodriguez is “one of the most loved professors [at Darden].” And an alumnus with whom we spoke described him as “very funny, very articulate, not dry” but added that “he asks tough questions.” This graduate also noted that Rodriguez is very patient with students, helping each to probe deeply for answers and thereby guiding them to deeper insights. “He fills the room with kinetic energy when he walks in,” said an alumna we interviewed. “He understands who gets it and who doesn’t.”
For more information about UVA Darden and 15 other top-ranked business schools, check out the mbaMission Insider’s Guides.
