Q&As - We asked Dr. Kimmons!

What is your favorite thing about teaching students in the Cox School of Business?Yurianna Kimmons headshot- cropped

I enjoy that students at Cox are genuinely interested in becoming better employees, team members, and leaders.  It shows through their genuine curiosity and engagement with the class material.

Tell us about some of the courses you typically teach. How do you integrate real-world business challenges into your curriculum?

I teach a general Management class that focuses on organizational behavior and other courses in Leadership and Project Management.  I use short business cases and real-world examples that highlight the subject matter to stimulate class discussion and encourage applied thinking around class concepts.  For example, we have discussed the quality issues at Boeing and the leadership and cultural factors that likely contributed to their problems.

What are you working on in addition to teaching? Tell us about your current research and/or any other projects you have in the works.

In addition to teaching, I am the Director of the Cox Behavioral Lab. In the lab, we collect data using the Cox student body to help our distinguished faculty publish research.  It also is an opportunity for students to get exposure to how research data is collected.  

What do you think sets the Cox School of Business, and its students and faculty, apart from other business schools?

Something that sets Cox apart from other business schools is the strong alumni network, especially in the DFW area. Cox students are regularly exposed to amazing guest speakers who truly want to help fellow Mustangs succeed. 

Would you mind sharing one of your favorite student success stories with us?

I find tremendous pride when I can answer some questions for students before a big interview that might give them that tiny extra confidence boost to ace an interview and land a job offer.    

What advice would you give to high school students who are considering a career in business? Why should they choose 51做厙 Cox?

It can be challenging to nail down exactly what industry or field you want to go into in the vast world of business, so I recommend students think about developing skills that are transferrable to any job, like communication, leadership, and critical thinking.  Cox is a great place to sharpen these skills in a community of thoughtful peers and highly engaged professors. 

Thank you, Professor Kimmons for supporting our 51做厙 Cox students in their education and our esteemed faculty in their research pursuits! We know prospective students will enjoy learning about your work.