Professor Donald Lavin received his MPA/MBA at Loyola College. He is a certified public accountant (CPA) who teaches courses in his areas of expertise, including business ethics, corporate finance, principles of accounting, auditing, tax, business strategy, marketing, and investments.
Lavin’s favorite part of being a professor is getting to work with students to help them land internship opportunities with corporate powerhouses. He is a very dedicated, friendly person who is always willing to help his students plan the best for their futures. Professor Lavin has given a lot to McDaniel, such as teaching semesters in Budapest, helping with Interview Day for the business department, and supporting McDaniel’s sports teams.
Professor Lavin is a great advisor and friend. He always has his door open, and loves to chat with students and give them advice. Professor Lavin loves to keep up with the sports teams and always asks students how their teams are doing. He loves to crack jokes and make people feel comfortable enough to come talk to him. When asked what has made him so successful, and with a laugh he said, “success is in the eyes of the beholders.”
Professor Lavin has a very intriguing past. His experiences can be divided into three parts. First, he was a First Lieutenant in the Army for two years, stationed in Fort Bliss, TX, Fort Dix, NJ, and the Republic of Korea. Second, he worked at Bell Atlantic (now Verizon) for thirty years before retiring at the age of 52. At Bell Atlantic, he held numerous jobs, including Managing Director of Human Resources, Assistant Vice President of Directory Services, and Managing Head of the Labor Relations team. Now, he has been at McDaniel College for the past 16 years.
He said, “I wanted to get into teaching because I always enjoyed school and always enjoyed being around younger people. I then taught at Howard Community College during my last ten years at the telephone company. I love being a father and being active, so I coached basketball, lacrosse, and baseball while my kids were younger.”
Lavin finally came to McDaniel because the business department was going to take over the philosophy department’s ethics course. A friend of his who taught here then asked him if he wanted to come up to the Hill and teach the course. He had already been retired for a month and he quotes: “I was bored to tears so I decided to pursue something I have always loved.” He says, “I do not teach because I love teaching; I teach for the love of helping students, and to see the joy in their eyes when they succeed.”
