Brian Stevens, a senior lecturer in the Department of Business Analytics and Statistics (BAS) at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business, has won numerous teaching awards throughout his career. However, he was recently awarded his most significant recognition to date — UT’s 2024 President’s Award in the Nimble and Innovative category.
Commitment to Teaching Excellence
Michael Galbreth, BAS department head and Pilot Corporation Chair of Excellence, praised Stevens as having an enormous impact on multitudes of Haslam students with his inventive approach to teaching.
“His ability to engage with students and get them excited about business applications of analytics is truly unmatched,” Galbreth says. “Brian finds a way to make every student interaction interesting and engaging, and he works hard to find complex yet relatable datasets for the students to work on. It is hard to find a Haslam student whose college experience has not been enhanced by Brian’s talent and commitment to teaching excellence.”
Exceptional In-Person, Online Learning Experiences
Stevens’ former students echo Galbreth’s praise. Jonah Freedman, a student athlete majoring in public relations who will enter his third year this fall, calls Stevens “one-of-a-kind.”
“Brian is the most personable and caring instructor I have ever met,” Freedman says. “He remembers students’ names from the first time they come to office hours and truly cares about his students. Brian made it easy for me to work hard and stay motivated when the class became difficult.”
Margaret “Maggie” Bibb, a Chancellor’s Honors student in supply chain management entering her third year, noted that taking an online class with Stevens transformed her perspective on virtual learning.
“He showed us that it’s not the platform, but the professor, that makes the difference,” she says. “Brian’s passion and enthusiasm create a positive and engaging atmosphere, making Haslam’s Stats 201 a blueprint for an exceptional online course. His teaching proves that high-quality education can thrive online.”
Galbreth notes that many students initially expect to dislike statistics, but after taking Stevens’ course, they often find themselves captivated by the subject. Some are even inspired to shift their academic focus toward more data-driven roles. Several students have credited Stevens as the only reason they were able to pass statistics, and thousands have used his YouTube statistics tutorials as an indispensable resource. His Coursicle reviews are a cavalcade of terms like “approachable,” “passionate,” “fun,” “caring” and “best teacher I ever had.”
A Celebrated Career
Stevens’ outstanding teaching abilities have earned him significant acclaim. Some honors he received in recent years include the 2023 E. Jane Hazlewood Faculty Award, the 2020 Allen H. Keally Excellence in Teaching Award and the 2018 Alumni Excellence in Teaching Award. In 2022, George Melton (HCB, ’68) and Peggy Melton, longtime supporters of the BAS department, endowed the Brian Stevens Analytics Student of the Year Award in recognition of his teaching prowess.
As with his other honors, Stevens is humble about his latest recognition. However, his passion for teaching is on full display when he speaks about teaching methods, digital technology in the classroom, running a class in virtual reality and related topics. In a recent video interview, Stevens spoke on the significance of receiving the President’s Award, his approach to teaching, developing a rapport with students, the future of technology in the classroom and more. Watch the full interview.
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CONTACT:
Scott McNutt, business writer/publicist, rmcnutt4@utk.edu
