Faculty Snapshot: Both his research and teaching have lasting influence

Ivan Brick, dean’s professor of business, chair of the Finance and Economics department. His department is home to the Master's of Quantitative Finance program as well as the Master's of Financial Analysis.

Expertise: Corporate finance, optimal security design, corporate governance. He teaches undergraduate as well as graduate.

New research: He is examining the source of benefit for hedge fund activism. His work looks at the impact of the industrial experience of the activist hedge fund manager upon post-performance of the manager’s target acquisitions.

His influence: “The Relevance of Debt Maturity Structure,” a paper that grew out of his dissertation, was published in the Journal of Finance in 1985. It is one of the most cited in corporate finance academic research. “At the time, very few papers had examined the characteristics of debt and how that could influence optimal financing of the firm,” Brick said. His 2006 Journal of Corporate Finance paper titled, “CEO compensation, director compensation and firm performance: Evidence of Cronyism?” is his most cited. The work examines how compensation of the CEO and board directors are interrelated and shows that overpaying boards and CEOs results in a firm’s future poor performance.

Outside the classroom: He is a doting grandfather and a diehard Yankees fan. In addition to the framed pinstripe shirt hanging in his office, there are many family snapshots on display. “Family is very important to me.”

Why he teaches: “Teaching provided the best route for me to have a balance between family and career. It made it possible for me to practice my faith.”