Throughout the past few years, the business department has benefitted from a certain faculty member. There have been many professors that have contributed to the department’s success, but especially Kerry Duvall.
Duvall has been teaching at McDaniel for the past four years. During this time, she has done a tremendous amount for not only her students but the entire business department as well. One of the biggest contributions Duvall has made was implementing Interview Day. This day allows students in the business department to interview with top companies throughout Baltimore, potentially leading to future careers.
“We have made major improvements over the last couple of years with Interview Day,” said Duvall. “We work closely with the Writing Center and CEO office to review student’s résumés to prepare for their interviews. We also have RSM come in and present to our students about how to interview. I focus on Excel in my classes, which is so important to business students.”
Duvall teaches accounting courses, which has drawn a lot of students to the accounting major. This gives students an opportunity to learn about her past experiences at one of the top accounting firms, KPMG. She was very successful in the business world and now strives to help students become the best they possibly can be.
“The best part of being a professor at McDaniel are the students,” said Duvall. “They are always in my office, even when they aren’t in my classes anymore.”
Duvall is an advisor to a lot of students majoring in business, economics, accounting, finance, and more. A majority of the students in those majors have requested to have her as a faculty advisor. With that being said, many of her students have built a close relationship with her throughout their four years at McDaniel. They know she gives 100 percent of her attention to the success of every student and won’t hesitate to accept anything short of excellence.
“I can go in her office any day or time and talk,” said Shawn Macburnie, a junior majoring in accounting. “She set up mock interviews to help prepare me for Interview Day and always instills the phrase substance over form.”
Many of the changes to the curriculum have stemmed from Duvall and her colleagues. Duvall, as well as other professors in the department, incorporated new concentrations to give the students more experience before graduating.
“The business department has undergone a big transformation this past year, but it has helped set up a future in accounting for myself,” said Tom Davis, an accounting student. “The concentrations that have been added to my résumé were brought up in multiple interviews on Interview Day.”
