Teaching—and Learning—with Business Professor Colleen Vucinovich
Colleen Vucinovich brings a wide range of business experience to the classroom as an entrepreneur, product developer, brand manager, and trade marketing manager in the United States and South Africa. She holds an MBA and an MS in strategic planning from Edinburgh Business School at Heriot-Watt University.
What do you love about teaching at Principia?
I love the beautiful surroundings and the warm smiles. Each day I arrive on campus, I’m struck by how fortunate I am to work here.
If you could give students only one piece of advice, what would it be?
Do the reading—it’s not voluntary!
What led you to teaching?
George Elliot said, “It’s never too late to become what you might have been.” I didn’t know that I should have been a teacher but the Father did. Because I listened and had the courage to follow the path that opened for me, I have been blessed with a deeply fulfilling career.
What do you find most challenging about teaching?
Turning complex (and somewhat dry) concepts into comprehensible and engaging material.
How do you view character education at Principia?
Character education is reciprocal: I grow as much as my students do. Our growth is continuous—moment by moment and class by class. They have changed me in ways I couldn’t have imagined. We laugh at ourselves and we joke with each other. We form meaningful communities and discover fascinating things about the world and ourselves.
What would people be surprised to learn about you?
I’m a qualified image consultant.
What work would you pursue if you weren’t a professor?
I’d be a perfumer or an author.
If you had a day off and weren’t allowed to use it to catch up on work, what would you do?
I’d put some color on a canvas and maybe call it art.