McIntire Professor Michael Gallmeyer is the recipient of a 2024 All-University Teaching Award, one of 13 esteemed UVA faculty members to be honored.
The Consumer Bankers Association Eminent Professor of Commerce, Gallmeyer was nominated by his McIntire peers and selected by a UVA committee for the annual recognition that honors “dedicated, passionate, creative, and equity-minded instructors who significantly and meaningfully contribute to the University’s teaching mission.” Gallmeyer will be celebrated along with other winners of the All-University Teaching Awards and Public Service Awards at an event on April 30.
Since joining the McIntire faculty in 2009, Gallmeyer has become a popular and indispensable figure in the Commerce School. He is praised by his fellow professors, staff, alumni, and students alike for his deep academic expertise, impactful teaching style, curriculum innovation, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to current and former students. In addition to teaching a wide-ranging portfolio of advanced Finance courses, he has been responsible for developing and coordinating the School’s Quantitative Finance Track since 2013 and designed the courses Institutional Investment Management, Asset Management in the Global Economy, and Investing in Europe: Opportunities and Challenges, the latter of which he leads through on-site business visits across European financial capitals.
Professor Peter Maillet, who notes Gallmeyer’s invaluable role as a teacher in the Global Commerce Immersion and Global Immersion Experience courses, says, “His courses abroad are among the most highly respected among students, not only because of the amazing experiences he provides in places like London, Frankfurt, and Zurich, but I believe because of his ability to make financial markets and investing understandable on an intuitive level.”
Regarding his contributions to his students’ learning, Professor David Chapman sums up Gallmeyer’s ability thusly: “Mike is, quite simply, among the most gifted teachers I have seen in over 30 years on the faculties of three separate research universities. His ability to absorb staggering amounts of information, whether it is academic research or business journalism, and synthesize it into a coherent narrative for his students is, literally, second to none in my experience.”
A 2022 winner of McIntire’s Whit Broome Faculty Service Award for his exceptional commitment to others and his profession, Gallmeyer has also been responsible for creating the Finance Academy initiative with Professor David C. Smith. Launched in 2022, the seven-week preparatory program that helps second-year students learn about his chosen subject and aims to address equity issues through outreach to traditionally underrepresented students has shown promising results: More than 25% of the 101 students to complete the course came from non-traditional backgrounds.
Gallmeyer serves as Director for McIntire’s Center for Investors and Financial Markets (CIFM) and is responsible for producing the Professional Speaker Series, which began in fall of 2018, and has since welcomed many high-profile professionals who have met with students to discuss an extensive range of aspects across the finance industry. In addition to his work with the CIFM, he is also Interim Academic Director of the White Ruffin Byron Center for Real Estate.
Beyond those duties, Gallmeyer has also regularly served as an adviser and mentor to many across Grounds. He has worked as a thesis adviser to undergraduate Global Commerce Scholars, an independent study adviser, and a Ph.D. adviser to doctoral students.
“A distinguishing feature of Mike’s record relative to many other outstanding teachers I know is the sheer extent of his influence across the University. He has served on 11 UVA dissertation committees and co-chaired two, and yet McIntire does not even have a Ph.D. program,” says Professor Felicia Marston. “Instead, these students hail from Economics, Statistics, and Engineering, and they, along with College students who have participated in international courses led by Mike, provide a compelling testament to his wide reach.”
Marston adds that his passion for teaching extends to his scholarship, strong academic record, and visibility within the profession. “He is the perfect testament that great research and great teaching are not competing goals, which makes me both proud and happy to be his colleague.”
His students are equally effusive about Gallmeyer’s outsized impact on their educational experience and his willingness to support their learning and ensure their success.
One student remarked that “Mike consistently made himself available outside of class to discuss course material if we were struggling—even at odd hours,” calling Gallmeyer “one of the most patient and understanding professors I’ve had at UVA; regardless of the question, Mike was always enthusiastic to help and would try numerous approaches to walk through a topic until it clicked for the student. Perhaps most importantly though, Mike makes himself available as a mentor to his students, frequently helping them with career or life advice. He has an incredibly high level of empathy and genuine interest for the holistic success of his students. Mike is a uniquely talented professor who goes above and beyond for his students. I cannot think of anyone more deserving of this award than him.”
Another student supported Gallmeyer’s nomination by expressing that he “perfectly personifies the University of Virginia brand of education, by teaching his students how to think, but allowing them to use their own background knowledge and experiences to inform their thought. I can’t overstate the impact that Professor Gallmeyer has on my educational and personal development. Even taking into account the exceptional caliber of all of the professors I ever had at UVA, I am certain that Michael Gallmeyer is the best teacher I have ever had at any level of education.”