faculty spotlight
THOMAS “TIM” MONAHAN, PhD Thomas “Tim” Monahan, PhD, John M.Cooney Endowed Professor of Accountancy and Information Systems, who has experience as a teacher, researcher, consultant and dean, understands connections between disciplines. What first attracted him to Villanova was the balance offered between teaching, research and the ability to consult, a benefit still at the core of the Villanova education model. Dr. Monahan’s background speaks to his interest in the multidimensional nature of business disciplines. He graduated from Hofstra University with a degree in economics and worked for several years at Becton, Dickinson and Company, a medical technology company. After earning his MBA from Rutgers University, he decided to give teaching a try. He started teaching at LaSalle University and shortly thereafter pursued his doctorate at Temple University. “I started in the finance department, which appealed to my background in economics, but I wanted to apply my economics and finance background to solving business problems,” explained Dr. Monahan. “This is what led me to the accounting discipline, which is more problem-oriented.” Interdisciplinary connections continued to be apparent in his studies and quickly became the basis of his teaching philosophy. Dr. Monahan developed this philosophy into a program through VSB’s Executive MBA program, which incorporates the theory of systems thinking. By giving students foundational skills within traditional business disciplines and then applying a multidisciplinary approach to identifying business problems, students learn to develop solutions from an interdisciplinary, systemic perspective. “The competitive advantage of 12
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