It was with great disdain that I read the article "After tenure battle, Neck moves on" (CT, May 1) in Friday's Collegiate Times. Having taken Christopher Neck's Management Theory and Leadership Practice course last fall, I feel completely bewildered as to why the College of Business would deny tenure to and treat so poorly one of the best professors this university has ever had.
Granted, Neck is quite unconventional in his teaching. But perhaps this is what makes him so highly regarded by so many of his students. Instead of the usual monotone, PowerPoint college lecture, Neck brings teaching to a whole new level.
From getting "Jared the Subway Guy" to come in and speak, to having Frank Beamer talk about his personal views on how to lead, to even creating his own rap for the class at the end of each semester (check it out on YouTube if you haven't already), Neck is able to make business and leadership come alive in a way no one else can.
Neck's books and articles are also wonderfully unique. Often times using his own experiences in "self-mastery" in conjunction with his own brand of poetry, Neck's writings on leadership are a breath of fresh air in a field of research that seems crowded by scientific attempts to explain what Neck seems to suggest is more of a beautiful form of art. Wishy-washy mumbo-jumbo?
Some people think that. But there is simply no denying Neck's ability to motivate when reading one of his books or articles - and motivation (both of oneself and of others to achieve personal or organizational goals) is at the very core of management and leadership.
Ask yourself this question: How many professors are able to motivate a three-hour long, 500-person class on Friday afternoons to such an extent that students stand up to do "the wave" as if they are at a Hokie football game? My answer: not many. Perhaps jealousy then, on the part of those reviewing Neck for tenure, was one root cause for their apparent bias against him.
Congratulations, Arizona State. Because of the failure of some to recognize teaching and research brilliance when they see it, you are getting one top-notch professor come this fall. While he is sure to be just as revered by students there as the ones he leaves behind at Tech, hopefully your faculty will show him the appreciation that some of ours were too jealous to provide.
Ryan Lilly
junior, management