Jim Friedman, a Miami University of Ohio professor since 2008 and a Delta Sigma Pi initiate, teaches creativity in the Institute for Entrepreneurship at the Farmer School of Business. Having directed 11 national prime time television dramas and winning one national Emmy and 64 regional Emmys in his previous career, his classes are anything but ordinary. “I teach the way I produce,” says Friedman. “I think of every class period as a story. It’s important that if your student’s mind is somewhere else, you have to go there with them.” 

Friedman recently won this Miami’s Outstanding Professor Award for his “creativity, enthusiasm and dedication to students inside and outside of the classroom.” His lessons are not only applicable to school, but to everyday life. His approach on teaching his students can very easily be applied to managing others in various careers. When asked what his students have taught him, he recalled a conversation he had with Cincinnati Red’s baseball player Pete Rose, who told him, “The trick is that you have to understand that some players need a pat on the back, some need a kick in the butt and some people need to be left alone.” He stated that it is important to remember that each person has a different specific need and the more you listen the more you can support those needs.

When asked what advice he had for young professionals beginning their careers, he didn’t skip a beat. “The most important thing is to be very confident about who you are and what your values are.” He says that he wants his students to be as happy as he is to go to work every day. In fact, he changed the popular phrase T.G.I.F. to T.G.I.M. (thank goodness it’s Monday!) to better fit the way he feels about coming to work after the weekends. The love that his students have for him is a testament to his quality of teaching and his gift for it. 

As for his weekends, Friedman enjoys reading, researching and spending time at home. While he joked about being boring, it’s safe to say he is anything but. Thank you and congratulations, Jim, on this honor!