University of Wisconsin Oshkosh College of Business professor Dale Feinauer has worked at UW Oshkosh for 33 years teaching courses in human resources management and change management. Now, Feinauer is leading the University’s Master of Business Administration programs.
For Feinauer, seeing his former students enjoying their careers is one of the most rewarding parts of his job.
“When you have a student come back and say that they really love what they are doing, which isn’t necessarily success in the financial aspect, but it’s success in that they’ve thought about their lives and what they are doing with their lives and have found a way to make it enjoyable,” Feinauer said. “That really is what matters—that they are leading quality lives.”
As a teacher, Feinauer said he finds the gray spaces—those areas that aren’t clear cut—and seeing students navigate the nuances very rewarding.
“What’s really exciting about teaching is seeing the lights turn on in the student’s eyes,” Feinauer said.
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Feinauer, who has a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in labor and human resources and a Ph.D. in labor and human resources from The Ohio State University, is fascinated with analyzing why people do what they do.
“I think of economics and psychology as the two disciplines that underpin business and thinking about behavior in the economic and individual realm is fascinating,” Feinauer said. “It’s really more the how to learn than the nuts and bolts of what you learn. It’s about how you approach learning and think conceptually about organization and how people fit into organizations.”
In addition to teaching in the College of Business and serving as director of the MBA programs, Feinauer serves in the Oshkosh community.
“Serving on nonprofit boards has allowed me the opportunity to give back, as well as explore organizations and learn more about organizations in Winnebago County,” Feinauer said. “Serving on boards of for-profit organizations has also helped me enrich my understanding of what I am teaching in the classroom.”
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