Southwestern Magazine | Fall 2019

Illustrations by Caitlin Alexander Ever wonder what Southwestern professors think about or do in their spare time? In interviews with SU faculty couple Andy Ross and Katy Ross, we learn that their talents and passions extend well beyond the classroom. AndyRoss Director of Business Internships and Assistant Professor of Business Before transitioning into higher education, Ross served in a variety of marketing roles at Travelocity, Sabre, and AmericanAirlines. His students appreciate the impacts Ross has had on themthrough his teaching and in connecting them with life-changing internships. How long have you been teaching? I have been teaching for 14 years. I came to Southwestern in 2006 after a career in the travel industry. What inspired you to become an educator? I have always had a passion for learning and a deep respect for those teachers and professors who transformed theway I saw the world. In 2006, I met the Southwestern business faculty— MaryGraceNeville, DonParks, andA. J. Senchack. It was their passion for teaching business within the liberal arts that most inspired me to pursue this career. How has teaching transformed you? The students are the reason I teach. Every day, I get a chance to contribute to their development and help thempursue their passions. It is these bright, courageous, and inspiring people that make this the most rewarding job that I’ve ever had. What is something your students would be surprised to know about you? Alongwith studying business and economics as an undergrad- uate, I also studied political science. In 1989, I studied abroad in the Soviet Union, visitingMoscow, Tbilisi, and St. Petersburg (then still Leningrad). It was a time of tremendous political change andwas a very challenging and high-impact experience. When not working, you can findme… somewhere else. My family loves to travel. If we have a week o”, we always say we are going to have a “staycation,” but it seems we are not very good at that. My daughter is very proud of the fact that she had two stamps in her passport before her first birthday. If you could have a drink at the Cove with anyone in the world, living or dead, whowould the person be, andwhy? That’s a challenging question. I could go amilliondi”erentways with that, but I will say I’d like to share a pint of ice creamwith BenCohen. He is one of the founders of Ben&Jerry’s IceCream. We study that company closely in our Foundations of Busi- ness course. Through that discussion, I have come to admire his passion for balancing a company’s financial success with its impact on its community and other stakeholders. Describe your dream vacation. My dream vacation is going somewhere new. Some of the most fascinating places I have visited did not show up on my bucket list before visiting them.While teaching the SULondon Semester in the fall of 2018, we had the opportunity to visit Helsinki, Finland. Iwas captivated by the people and the culture. I’m excited to find the next place where I can experience that feeling of discovery. If you could choose one superpower, what would it be? Iwas envious ofHermioneGranger in theHarry Potter books. Having the ability to stop timewould certainly allowme to get more done! What advice would you give students going into your field today? Business is such a broad concept. It encompasses all the commercial activity we undertake. Because it’s so broad, it is often intimidating for students to try to imagine their p l ace i n t ha t world.My advice is always to startwith your passions and find the business application from there. I am thrilled by the number of double majors we have a t Southwestern who have comb i ned the study of businesswith another field that inspires them. T H E P R O F E S S O R C H R O N I C L E S 16 SOUTHWESTERN