2024 STR Outstanding Educator Award
The STR Outstanding Educator Award recognizes (in even years) an established strategy scholar who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to MBA/executive education in strategic management. The award recipient's contributions typically include outstanding teaching over an extended period, demonstrated mastery of the field, training future business leaders with an impactful strategic perspective, and developing and disseminating teaching methods or materials widely adopted by others.
The 2024 STR Outstanding Educator Award for Excellence in MBA/Executive education goes to David J. Collis!
Professor David J. Collis is the recipient of the 2024 STR Irwin Outstanding Educator Award. Since 1986, David Collis has held several faculty positions at the Harvard Business School, including the Thomas Henry Carroll Ford Foundation Adjunct Professor, the MBA Class of 1958 Senior Lecturer, and Associate Professor in the Strategy group. He has also served on the faculty of the Yale School of Management and Columbia Business School. Professor Collis is an Academy of Management Distinguished Educator and a Strategic Management Society Fellow. He has an MBA (Baker Scholar) and Ph.D. (Dean's Doctoral Fellow) from the Harvard Business School, and a BA in Economics (with a Double First) from Cambridge University.
Professor Collis is the author of over thirty articles and book chapters, and the recipient of numerous awards for excellence in teaching and publication, including the 50th Anniversary McKinsey Award for the best article in the Harvard Business Review. He has also co-authored impactful and widely used books on Corporate Strategy, International Strategy, and Corporate Headquarters, among others. His numerous cases and articles have garnered over 17,000 Google Scholar citations and sold over 2.5 million copies, making him one of the best-selling authors for the HBS Case Center. Professor Collis is also on the faculty for many HBS Executive Education programs, a consultant to several major U.S. corporations, and serves on several companies' Boards of Directors. He is a cofounder of the e-learning company E-Edge and the advisory firm Ludlow Partners, and has served as an expert witness on antitrust for the Department of Justice.
In conveying this award, the STR Division Awards Committee noted Professor Collis' many articles, books, and teaching materials that have advanced a better understanding of corporate level strategy among scholars and students alike. He is recognized for contributing (along with his coauthors) powerful original concepts and analytical approaches to the strategic analysis of corporate decisions. Professor Collis' instructional materials were singled out for their highly original content and incredible popularity at business schools around the world. His cases were highlighted for being comprehensive and highly engaging, and his teaching notes for being incredibly detailed and well-researched. Professor Collis' contributions to the field are encapsulated in his almost unique passion and ability to integrate academic research and instructional materials.
The testimonials offered on his behalf further underscore the impact that Professor Collis has had on students, colleagues, and the field. His presence in the classroom is described as "magnetic-a true superstar in action", and yet also shining with humility and earnestness. Professor Collis is also recognized for the many courses and programs he has helped to design and launch. He is lauded by faculty colleagues for his selfless contributions towards making them more effective teachers. They especially highlighted his generosity with time and advice, and willingness to engage in rich discussions and provide invaluable guidance. Co-teaching with Professor Collis was described as "a transformative experience".
The STR Division congratulates David Collis on being selected as the 2024 Outstanding Educator Award. We hope that you will participate in the award session at the August conference in Chicago to celebrate Professor Collis!
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Deepak Somaya
STR Division Chair-Elect
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