Save Our OBHR Professor Dr. Vance Lewis!

I thoroughly concur with this petition. Dr. Lewis was easily one of the top two professors I had in my academic career. He was one of the few that successfully kept the focus of the class career oriented. He was the only professor that every called me out for not giving my best effort (i graduated summa cum laude). That was incredibly important to me, because he taught/reminded me that school is not about grades. If we are not preparing for careers, than what's the point? Long story short, he is an incredible asset to UTD.

Dr. Lewis' class is one of the few that I honestly learned in. Many people are not fans of him but I believe he is too good of a professor to let go.

Haven't had a better person as an instructor during my time at UT Dallas. His depth of knowledge and application towards his students is unmatched.

I only had one class with Vance, but I still consider his class to be the point at which my perspective about graduate life changed. Vance taught me how to learn better by engaging in the subject matter. Yes, Vance is a challenging professor, but I believe that is a great quality that more faculty should possess.

I have been very privileged to be taught by Dr. Lewis, I experienced what it means to be professional. Dr Lewis is very accessible and always challenges you not to settle for less. Dr. Lewis will get you ready and fit for the professional world, I believe that he is a great asset for the JSOM.

It has been a privilege to be your student. I pray that they give you the chance to influence other students the way that you have influenced me. Stay positive and hope for the best to come your way.

If we had all come to college to regurgitate information and not learn anything then this action taken by the JSOM would be founded. But that is not the case. I have had way to many professors just read off their slides and then post those same slides on line and then make tests directly from slides/book without any interpretation or understanding required. THIS IS NOT THE CASE WITH DR. LEWIS. I have actually learned information relevant to my degree because of Dr. Lewis. He presents the information and makes you go into depth with your understanding. He also makes you apply that knowledge to real life and in that application you actually learn. If JSOM wants to fire him based off bad reviews, I question this; dear staff who made this decision, have you actually sat in the classes here in JSOM before you make decisions on professors? Have you spoken to students about what they are learning, not just what their grades are? Of course a student will rate a professor higher if they get an easy grade! Many students just want the A and then want to get out of here but will find themselves retaining nothing. I believe college is about much more than copying down facts from a book on to a test. I believe learning is interactive. I believe learning is discussions and input. I believe college is about coming out with an understanding of theory and application to our future careers (after all, that is what college is meant for - to prepare us for our careers). And that is what Dr. Vance Lewis believes too.

Dr. Lewis is one of the finest and most capable professors I have had in the JSOM. To fire Dr. Lewis is to impede the progress of the school and is self damaging. If UTDallas wants to further their educational programs they should keep him as a professor.

Dr. Lewis is one of the better professors I've had the privilege of learning under. In my opinion there should be more professors like him because he both tells and shows students how to be an effective leader. The situation in which the school has put him in and I'm sure others as well, just shows that there are too many sensitive and immature individuals put in a position of power. - Best Regards, Austin

THANK YOU Dr. Lewis for being SO REAL!

he's

Doctor Lewis has been the best professor I have ever had. He truly cares for his students and does everything in his power to guide them to the right path. Before I had the pleasure of meeting Doctor Lewis, I had no idea what I wanted to study or where I wanted to go after graduation. He gave me direction, and helped me find my career path in life. From how he mentors his students in and outside class he inspires us to be the best they can be. It’s unthinkable that UTDallas is blind to the time and dedication Doctor Lewis puts in to his students. Doctor Lewis has changed my life, please don’t let the other students miss the opportunity to learn from his insight on the real business world.

Doctor Lewis has been the best professor I have ever had. He truly cares for his students and does everything in his power to guide them to the right path. Before I had the pleasure of meeting Doctor Lewis, I had no idea what I wanted to study or where I wanted to go after graduation. He gave me direction, and helped me find my career path in life. From how he mentors his students in and outside class he inspires us to be the best they can be. It’s unthinkable that UTDallas is blind to the time and dedication Doctor Lewis puts in to his students. Doctor Lewis has changed my life, please don’t let the other students miss the opportunity to learn from his insight on the real business world.

The REALEST teacher here. Seriously.

KEEP LEWIS! Re-evaluate yourself UTD ADMIN!

I can honestly say that I would lose a great deal of respect for the School of Management if they do let go of Dr.Lewis. Dr Lewis is one of the strongest and most influential professors the School of Management has in its arsenal. He holds students to the highest standards and challenges students to think, something upon graduation we need to have mastered before we enter the real world and work for a company. His style of teaching may be a little unorthodox but that is what makes Dr.Lewis so great and unique, he truly has passion towards what he teaches. He is able to keep me awake in class and truthfully thinking! Dr. Lewis day after day pushes me to achieve my potential and guides me with his words of wisdom. He truly prepares his students for the harsh realities of the real workplace. Where a lot of professors who I have had to pay the incredibly high price of tuition for HAVE NOT EVEN CAME CLOSE. It saddens me that this is even a topic at UT Dallas, we have bigger and more important issues to fix and deal with at UTD. If I wanted to regurgitate information like Radu said, I would have stayed in high school! KEEP DR LEWIS!!!! #BackOFF

Dr. Lewis is deeply committed to his craft and his students and has worked very hard at UTD to develop the OBHR program to what it is today. If there are students that have grievances against Dr. Lewis, it is because they failed to meet his expectations and they could not accept the consequences of their own actions and put the blame on the professor!

Dr Lewis is one of the professors that I genuinely like! Even though his standard is high, he makes it frustrating somehow struggling to satisfy him, I actually learned a lot from his class and he showed me forreal what the real world look like and if I am ready for it. It would be a BIG BIG LOSS for UTD if they let him go. I mean, why would yall prefer some professors who just read off the powerpoint slides and lullaby the students to sleep, over someone who actually teaches and make us smarter? Is that the kind of education UTD is looking for?

good luck professor

Although I never had one of his classes, he was obviously respected by my peers. We are one at UTD, so I stand with my fellow classmates on this issue.