Serkan Akguc receives Meritorious Teaching Award 2019

Serkan Akguc was awarded the 2019 Meritorious Teaching Award at the CMU-Q graduation ceremony on Monday. Akguc, who is an assistant teaching professor of finance, also received the Faculty of the Year Award, 2018-19, at the Carnegie Mellon Business Association year end gala in April.

“I very much appreciate receiving these awards. The faculty members here put a lot of time and energy into student learning, and I am humbled to be recognized among these amazing colleagues,” said Akguc, who joined the CMU-Q campus in 2017.

Each year, the graduating class nominates faculty members for the Meritorious Teaching Award who have demonstrated excellence in teaching. The winner is selected by a faculty committee. The award was announced at the ceremony and presented by Michael Trick, dean of Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar.

Akguc teaches accounting and finance at CMU-Q and also devotes time to extracurricular student activities. Last year, he coached a team of students for the CFA Institute Research Challenge, an international finance competition. The students became the first Middle East team to reach the regional finals in the history of the competition.

Akguc’s research interests delve into the differences between private, unlisted companies and publicly-listed corporations with respect to key financial decision-making. “Research is important because it supports teaching—when I stay up-to-date on current research, the students benefit.”

Akguc holds a PhD in finance from the Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia. Before coming to CMU-Q, he was an assistant professor of finance at King AbdulAziz University and a lecturer at Vanderbilt University.