Dr. William Breffle, Associate Professor of Economics within Michigan Tech’s School of Business and Economics (SBE), has been selected as a finalist for the Distinguished Teaching Award, a notable recognition from the William G. Jackson Center for Teaching and Learning.
Based on 50,000 student ratings, five finalists were chosen for the 2015 award. The selection committee will be basing its ultimate decision on class surveying, and on recommendations from the Tech community. Staff, faculty, and all current and former students of Dr. William Breffle are strongly encouraged to submit a recommendation by Friday, April 3.
Associate Professor Breffle is consistently one of the SBE’s most beloved professors. In the 33 courses he has taught, Breffle maintains an average rating of 4.6 on student evaluations. He has an overall quality rating of 4.3 on Rate My Professors, being cited as inspirational and known to give amazing lectures. One student of EC3100: International Economics wrote in December 2014,
“In seven years of academia, Dr. Breffle is BY FAR the best professor I’ve ever had. Extremely passionate about his topic and wants students to learn. He uses real world examples to simplify the subject and is a fair grader. Took another class from him because he’s THAT good!”
Breffle is also an active researcher, having published over 20 peer-reviewed articles, including very recent papers in top journals such as Contemporary Economic Policy, Environmental and Resource Economics, and Ecological Economics, among many others. His strong research record helps to keep his classroom curriculum on the cutting edge and directly related to real-world policy. His current research interests lay within environmental economics, non-market valuation, discrete choice modeling, benefit-cost analysis, restoration program planning, and health economics.
Breffle’s impressive resume also boasts numerous presentations at institutions nationwide, including Colorado State University and Cornell University. He currently serves as article reviewer for 19 top journals in environmental economics and policy, and he remains a member of Mensa, Phi Beta Kappa, the American Economics Association, and the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, among others. A new father, Breffle has found a perfect balance between life with a newborn and his love for teaching economics.
Please submit a comment in favor of his award recognition by clicking here so that we can show Dr. Breffle how much we appreciate his hard work and dedication to Michigan Tech!
Congratulations, Bill!
You are amazing!!! All that hard work pays off, in one of the ways that matter most: making a difference in the lives of students!! Congrats, friend!!
Greatness of a teacher is when he is able to teach anything and everything with patience. I am certain about Bill’s ability of teaching in an academic field however I would certainly vouch for his excellence in teaching music. As a part of Indian Students’ Association’s annual event both of us performed together for an Indo-American fusion song which was a huge hit of the show. His talent in playing guitar, teaching himself an international music style, planning minute details of a performance and managing the entire music team were indeed commendable.
I thank him for that great musical experience and wish him all the best for his future endeavors.
I have the opportunity to be one of his student this semester. He is great professor, very clear, intelligent & helpful. He covers a lot in his lectures with clarity, and really know and understand economy very well. Professor Breffle is an outstanding teacher.
I am from Liberia, a country that went through 15 years of civil unrest,destroying every facet of the country from the economy down to the education system. A few months ago, I made my way to the U.S to obtain higher education and to return to my country to contribute my quota.I am currently reading Environmental and Natural Resource Economics under Dr. William Breffle. Admittedly, the remarkable experience with drinking from the fountain of Dr. Breffle is some thing that will remain with me as a memento. Coming from a such a background as I mentioned earlier to this highly sophisticated country would require the courage and the indefatigable effort of an instructor like him to have you understand the reason you are here for. He has made me to understand what it means to be educated and to have a mastery of any thing you choose in life. His style of teaching is something that I have selected as a package to share with my compatriots upon return to my country.He is very perspicuous.He reduces every topic to the participation of his students by asking them to read related articles and summarize those articles to their understandings, an approach that has ameliorated my grasp of the subject matters. To conclude, Dr. Breffle is my instructor. He is eloquent, amiable.He makes you to feel at home.