By Meg Beerling
Feature Editor
This year Saint Mary's University welcomes two new professors to the business department, Drs. Malcom Gold and Derek Jackson.
Gold currently teaches two sections of Business Statistics, two sections of Microeconomics and one section of an international business class. Jackson teaches several accounting courses, which is his specialty field.
Gold taught at the University of Wisconsin, Marshfield, for two years before coming to SMU, and Jackson was an adjunct professor at Virterbo University in La Crosse, Wisc., for the last three years.
Both Jackson and Gold said that they love the small class sizes here at SMU. Gold said that the small-school atmosphere is something he values for both teacher and student. Similarly, Jackson, a Viterbo alumnus, said he appreciates small class sizes and that it is a “more personal, more impactful way to teach and to learn.”
Gold said the best part of the job is a simple answer for him: the learning. “Education is a positive externality,” said Gold, meaning that the individual or firm making a decision does not receive the full benefit of the decision; the benefit to the individual or firm is less than the benefit to society. Gold enjoys being able to influence the student population, even if it is just a few students, because those students can then go on to influence others.
Jackson said the hardest part of the job is the time commitment. “I want to do a good job,” he said, adding that teaching full time at SMU is a lot different than adjunct teaching one day per week.
Both Gold and Jackson said that they are excited to be here, and they look forward to getting to know people and facing new challenges.
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