Associate Professor of Finance
Finance class: it's just numbers, right? Not when Professor Alka Bramhandkar is teaching it. Like her colleagues in the Ithaca College School of Business, she brings a world of experience and cultural insight into her classroom.
"When we teach a class, we can't forget who we are," she says. "Our cultural experiences define us as people. We can't ignore how they influence each of us and the way we look at the financial world."
For Bramhandkar, a native of India who's been on the Ithaca faculty since 1984, cultural awareness is an important component of a broad-based business education. "The globe is the workplace of the future, and we make sure our students are prepared for it," she says. "Awareness of diversity and the way different cultures approach business--those are tangible lessons our students take from Ithaca to the workplace."
Bramhandkar's international approach to business education reflects the multinational background of the business faculty itself. Our professors hail from every corner of the globe, and they present their research at conferences worldwide.
"The business faculty here adds a multifaceted perspective to our students' lives," she says. "Academic experience, professional experience, diverse cultural, national, and religious backgrounds--you don't always associate that breadth of experience with an intimate college environment. It is a tremendous advantage for our students."
