5 Questions with O'Leary Professor Hany A. Shawky
For almost 45 years, Hany A. Shawky has been a pillar of the Massry School of Business. Since 1981, Shawky has held various positions, including Chair of the Finance Department, Founding Director of the Center for Institutional Investment Management, Associate and Interim Dean of Massry, and O'Leary Professor of Finance. Beyond his professional successes, his kindness, professionalism and empathy are quickly mentioned when his cohorts speak about him, and he has left that mark on the school.
Before he embarks on his retirement years, Shawky shared a few memories from his time at Massry, offered advice for current students and faculty, and discussed what he is most looking forward to on his next adventure.
Q: Having seen decades of trends come and go, what do you believe is the next big frontier in finance education?
A: Without question, the age of artificial intelligence (AI) is in some ways positively impacting all our disciplines, including financial markets and the financial services world. AI has had a profound effect on almost all finance careers and financial services. From investment banking to asset management, and from corporate financial management to private equity and financial leasing, AI has played a significant role in enhancing both efficiency and processing speed resulting in better overall outcomes.
Q: Is there a particular lesson regarding teaching that has always stuck with you?
A: Make every effort to engage students in the classroom. That may be by illustrating the practicality of what you are teaching to the real world, or by inviting alumni practitioners to class, or any other mechanism to keep the student’s attention during lectures.
Q: What does a well-earned retirement look like for you?
A: I must continue to be engaged intellectually and at the same time have time and the means to travel and do the things that I did not have time to do during my long career. Other than my country of origin Egypt, which I visit every other year, I would like to visit Alaska and Australia for the first time. I am happy to say that I am in a good place to do both.
Q: After 45 years, what will you miss the most about UAlbany?
A: I will miss almost everything I did during my career. I will miss teaching graduate and undergraduate students, supervising Ph.D. students, working with my colleagues, and, to some degree, I will also miss some of the many administrative tasks and responsibilities that I have had over the years.
Q: If you could leave one final piece of wisdom with the faculty and students, what would it be?
A: As a college professor, make sure you work hard on both your teaching and research. Once you excel in these two functions, academic life will go very well for you and will also be very enjoyable and rewarding. My advice to our graduates is to stay connected to faculty at the Massry School of Business and also to remain connected with your student cohort. Many good things can result from keeping up with that network.