Get to Know Daniel Gropper

Daniel Gropper, Ph.D.

Dean of the College of Business Florida Atlantic University

You have been immersed in the Boca Raton community for some time… What does it mean for you to be involved in this community and to ensure businesses can grow and flourish?

I have been impressed with the people and energy here in Boca Raton – there are established business legends retired and living here, people in mid-career who are leaders in the business community now and people getting started with pursuing their own version of the American dream, whatever that may be . It is a vibrant, international community, and FAU helps support and build the community with our courses, our research and graduating students who stay and work here . I am honored to be a part of the University and this community . Why education? Tell us where your passion stems from.

A couple of things – first, education helps open the doors of opportunity for all of our students who come to FAU from so many different racial and ethnic backgrounds . Education, whether learning a trade or earning a college degree, helps people move ahead and reach their full potential . It is not easy, you likely need some good fortune, and there are no guarantees . America and our free enterprise economic system provides more opportunities for upward mobility than most other countries and systems . I also love the ability to pursue a career in the world of ideas, to conduct my own research and continue to learn and teach .

What is your favorite career memory? How have you gotten to where you are today?

There are many – one is getting the news that FAU had broken into the top-50 national rankings in Entrepreneurship last year in the Princeton Review & Entrepreneur magazine – we set this goal 5 years ago and reached it together . Another was teaching my first course on my own after being a teaching assistant – that was a mixture of anxiety and adrenaline . How did I get here? The answer is my wife (a professor too) and I both worked a lot of evenings and weekends – you put the kids to bed, and pull out the manuscript you are working on . You go to your kids t-ball or soccer practice, and pull out your notes to look over for the classes you teach that week . As a professor I can set my own schedule more than when I worked for a private consulting firm, but I still have to work a lot to succeed.

What is a memorable quote that has impacted your life and career?

Probably more a book than a quote – “Free to Choose” by Milton and Rose Friedman . Reading that as an undergraduate student really opened my eyes to the economic way of thinking, and the links between individual freedom and a capitalist, free enterprise economic system .

What is something that people might be surprised to know about you?

In high school and college, I used to tie flies for the Orvis dealer in Georgetown to support my spending on fishing equipment.