Susan Stranix, an assistant professor of business, with her office mate professor Michael Johnson. (Photo by Lilach Assayag) When Susan Stranix walked the halls of DCCC as a freshman, she probably never imagined that one day she would stand before college students as a professor of business.
Stranix, an alumni of the class of 1978, has been teaching for 29 years and at DCCC for four years.
Stranix’s credentials include a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Shippensburg University and a master’s degree in business administration from Widener University.
However, as a high school student, Stranix was unsure of what career to enter.
“[I was a] typical high school kid, good grades but didn’t have a plan,” Stranix said.
But when Stranix began taking classes at DCCC, her interest shifted toward business, especially after being inspired by exceptional teachers, such as accounting professor Richard Smith who amazed Stranix with his organized yet enthusiastic teaching style.
“Because of the methodical nature of accounting, if you were a rules and organization-oriented person like me, then it all made sense,” Stranix said. “Smith had a system and it worked. When I went into teaching, I knew … professors that were interested in their topics and could convey that interest in an organized method … helped students.”
Before returning to DCCC as a professor, Stranix taught at two other universities, including Widener University, where she received the prestigious Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching. While at Widener, and for years after, Stranix taught marketing at Goldey Beacom College.
At DCCC, Stranix teaches Introduction to Business, Principles of Marketing, Principles of Advertising, and Principles of Sports Marketing.
Stranix believes “students do better by remembering examples,” so she often relates a topic in class to events in everyday life.
“On any given day, I can pick up a USA Today or New York Times and there will be several articles I can use with my students,” Stranix said.
Recently, Stranix made her students aware of marketing and merchandizing strategies surrounding the NCAA Final Four. “I truly don’t want to be a professor that students say is all theory,” she explained. “I want students to be able to apply lessons to real life situations.”
Beyond teaching, Stranix has done consulting work with companies and businesses for more than 20 years. She also applies what she has gleaned from those situations to her lessons.
Stranix cites the example of a former student who worked for a small manufacturing company that was in need of a long-term business strategy. The student remembered his former marketing professor, and recommended Stranix for the consulting position.
Stranix worked with that company and created a marketing plan, she said.
The best part of that experience, Stranix said, was that she could “get the insider perspective on how companies use theories and concepts taught in the classroom. I get to see what works and doesn’t work in the professional world and bring that back to the classroom.”
Besides teaching and consulting work, Stranix is an advisor to students in the Business Society at DCCC, an organization that is committed to helping students gain insight into the business world. The society provides several services on campus, such as tax preparation for students, and organizes events, including a recent fashion show which instructed students on how to dress for success.
“As an advisor and teacher, it is fantastic to have such a dynamic group of students running the society,” Stranix said. “It’s a really nice environment.”
Stranix believes she has found her calling, and enjoys nothing more than teaching, she added.
“I found what I like to do, and someone pays me for it,” she said.
