Stan Hoi, E. Philip Saunders College of Business

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A. Sue Weisler

Hoi: Expects students’ diligence and hard work

There’s a sign that says “Stanley Main Street” on the door to his office in the Lowenthal Building. With a laugh, Chun-Keung (Stan) Hoi, associate professor of finance in the E. Philip Saunders College of Business, explains how his adopted name, Stan, came into existence. “I grew up in Hong Kong and when we go to high school, it is required we select an English name to use. My eldest sister gave me the name Stanley—and to this day, I don’t know if my name came from the famous street right along the seaside called Stanley, or because there was a prison not too far away from it. I was quite rebellious back then, and that could be the reason why she chose it for me.”

No longer a rebel but a valued law and finance and corporate governance academic at RIT since 1997, Hoi is one of the 2007 RIT honorees for the Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching. He also received the Outstanding Teaching Award in 2002 and the Outstanding Service Award in 2003, both in the Saunders College of Business. “I didn’t expect the award,” says Hoi, “and many years ago when I was attending the University of North Texas, my passion was radio, speech and drama. I got over it very quickly when I took Shakespearean drama and a course on costume making. I realized I could never be a performer, and I couldn’t imagine a life of sewing beads and jewels on fabrics.” Instead, Hoi became interested in economics, first helping out in the department as a teaching assistant—which later paved his way to a career in teaching.

He received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in economics from the University of North Texas, and his Ph.D. in finance from Arizona State University. “I do demand a lot from my students,” says Hoi, “and I randomly pick them out in class to see if they are paying attention. My job is to make sure the students are learning and acquire the skills and concepts they need to be successful.”

Although Hoi’s father owned a company in Hong Kong, many of his five siblings continued their education in the United States. “My wife, Kitty, comes from Hong Kong, and she’s a systems analyst at Blue Cross-Blue Shield. We have two children, Edmund, who is 15, and Alison, who is 10,” Hoi explains. “But what’s nice is that we have family close by and we see them often. I have a brother in New York City, a sister in Chicago and another sister and my mom who live in Toronto.”

While teaching at RIT, Hoi developed the curriculum for Modeling, which is used in financial analysis. “We had many students who were working co-ops for companies that had financial models automated in Microsoft Excel, a spreadsheet program with calculation and graphing capabilities. So I created the modeling course, complete with lectures and computer lab work, because of the demand by the students.” Hoi says what he values most in his students is, “initiative and a willingness to work—even if they aren’t A-plus students.” “As a professor, I gravitate towards challenging them and making them work hard,” Hoi says. “And if they’ve taken a class with me before and are willing to do so again, I consider that an accomplishment.”