Seven Retiring Babson Faculty Say Goodbye

Babson celebrates the long and rewarding careers of seven retiring faculty who have served generations of students in the classroom and beyond. Their departure was announced during a May faculty meeting. Here’s what their colleagues had to say about them.

Allan Cohen, Professor of Management

“Allan has been at Babson for 38 years, serving as Academic Vice President and Dean of Faculty for seven years. A scholar of leadership and known for his work on influence without authority, Allan has been a recognized leader on campus as a recipient of the Walter Carpenter Prize and the first recipient of the Walter Carpenter Chair. Allan served as chair of the Management Division and Interim Dean of the Graduate School, among other roles. A prolific writer of cases and multiple books on leadership, Allan also created and led the Leadership and Influence Program at Babson Executive Education and was a stalwart in his advocacy for relevance, practitioner focus, and innovation in his teaching and the Babson curriculum.” – Professor Nan Langowitz

Michael Cummings, Senior Lecturer of Management

“Michael began his Babson connection as an MBA student, MBA ’79, but returned to the College for a second career, joining the faculty full time 14 years ago.  Michael had infectious energy and ideas to make things happen. He served as Strategic Management concentration advisor, enthusiastically rallying students to make the most of their undergraduate learning options. As director of the Blended Learning MBA program, Michael brought valuable leadership to the program delivery team and took pride in knowing every student and working to expand the program’s reach. Always willing to try new things, Michael pioneered many pedagogies and program activities, ever with his eye on Babson’s teaching excellence.” – Professor Nan Langowitz

Dawna Dewire, Senior Lecturer, Information Systems

“Dawna has been a dedicated faculty member in TOIM for more than 25 years. In addition to her outstanding contribution to our students in the classroom, Dawna will be remembered for her extraordinary service to the Babson community. And, the Babson Dance Ensemble will not be the same without Prof. Dewire!” – Professor Donna Stoddard

Craig Ehrlich, Associate Professor of Law

“In his 24 years at Babson, Craig has taught approximately 3,500 students, mostly undergrads. His elective, White Collar Crime, is very popular, owing partly to the unvarnished candor he brings to the classroom. He maintains high expectations for his students and himself, and does not tolerate sloppy work or tardiness. Despite the sometimes acerbic exterior, he has a heart of gold which shines through as he warms over the course of the semester. His impressive publication list includes writings on various aspects of white collar crime and legal liability of accountants and other financial professionals. He is a beloved member of the law group.” – Senior Lecturer Cheryl Kirschner

J.B. Kassarjian, Professor of Management

“During his 40 years at Babson, J.B. has provided valuable insights to his students and colleagues, both inside and outside the classroom. A global citizen, J.B. has lived and worked around the world, bringing his keen intellect, observational powers, and belief in practice-based teaching to generations of students. He served as Management Division chair in the 1980s. He was a fervent advocate for thoughtful pedagogy and College decision making who practiced what he preached as a professor of strategy.” – Professor Nan Langowitz

Bill Rybolt, Associate Professor, Information Systems, Math & Science

“Bill Rybolt was a pioneer in his 50 years of service at Babson. He started out in the Science area, where he developed the Science Labs to the point where he was able to create experiments with superconductive material. He also developed new courses on the microprocessor and artificial intelligence. Bill later moved over to the Math side of the division, where he was one of the first faculty in the college to develop electronic quizzes that have become so essential today.” – Professor Vikki Rodgers

Charles Anthony “Tony” Wain, Senior Lecturer, Accounting & Law

“Tony Wain, or T-Wain as he is known by his students, has been a fixture on the Babson campus for more than 25 years after a very successful career at Digital Equipment Corporation. Tony started as an adjunct, teaching graduate courses. However, most of his teaching has been in the undergraduate program, where he taught managerial accounting and electives on cost accounting and management control. He would often teach upward of 10 courses a year, and his popularity earned him Faculty of the Year on two separate occasions.

Outside of the classroom, Tony can be regularly found riding his bike around campus. He regularly participates in community building events like the Midnight Breakfast and the faculty/staff number in the Babson Dance Ensemble. Most notably though, Tony is a rabid fan of all Babson sports. If a team is competing, there’s a good bet that Tony is there rooting them on. Even with his retirement, we look forward to still seeing him in the stands whenever we can safely cheer for our teams again in person.

Cheers to you, Tony!” – Associate Professor Ben Luippold

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