Raman Kumar appointed Alumni Distinguished Professor
A member of the Virginia Tech community since 1985, Kumar has dedicated his career to expanding Pamplin College of Business’s brand on the international stage.
With a career spanning nearly four decades, Raman Kumar's impact on Virginia Tech’s academic community is profound and far-reaching.
Kumar, the R.V. and A.F. Oliver Professor of Investment Management in the Pamplin College of Business, has made extraordinary contributions to the university’s teaching, research, and service missions, touching the lives of generations of students and expanding Pamplin’s brand internationally. He is an outstanding teacher and researcher who has dedicated his life to his students, profession, and Virginia Tech.
Earlier this month, Kumar was named an Alumni Distinguished Professor by the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors in recognition of his significant scholarly contributions. Receiving the 10-year appointment alongside Kumar were Kwame Harrison, a professor in humanities in the Department of Sociology, and Patty Raun, professor of theatre arts in the College of Architecture, Arts, and Design. They join seven active Alumni Distinguished Professors who embody Virginia Tech’s land-grant mission through extraordinary accomplishments and scholarship in teaching, research or creative activity, and engagement.
“It is both humbling and gratifying to be appointed as an Alumni Distinguished Professor,” said Kumar. “Humbling because so many of my students, colleagues, friends, and family have contributed significantly to the successes that are being recognized with this appointment, and gratifying to know that what I have truly enjoyed doing for the last 39 years at Virginia Tech is considered worthy of this appointment.”
He added, “I would like to acknowledge the inspiration and guidance provided to me by Dilip Shome, my former colleague, mentor, and role model.”
The professorship is a preeminent appointment, recognizing remarkable scholarship and service as well as extraordinary teaching that has influenced the lives of generations of students. Fewer than 1 percent of Virginia Tech faculty members hold this honor, and Kumar is the only active Alumni Distinguished Professor in the Pamplin College of Business.
“Dr. Kumar’s commitment to classroom and experiential learning is inspiring,” said Cyril Clarke, executive vice president and provost. “He teaches some of the most difficult finance classes and consistently receives some of the highest evaluations. He is an outstanding teacher who makes complex material intuitive and understandable, and he is generous with his time to ensure students comprehend the material.”
Appointed to the faculty in 1985, Kumar has spent his entire post-doctoral career at Virginia Tech. His selfless service to Virginia Tech and the finance department has resulted in various leadership roles and committee memberships. Kumar served as department head from 2000-02 and 2009-11, playing an important role in the hiring and retention of key faculty and helping to catapult the department to its standing as one of the top departments nationwide.
“Dr. Kumar has greatly and uniquely contributed to the advancement of Virginia Tech in all three areas – teaching, research, and service,” said Vijay Singal, head of the Department of Finance. “What is most impressive about his candidacy is the multidimensional nature of his accomplishments and the high quality of those contributions.”
Kumar has served on two search committees for Pamplin College of Business deans, numerous department and college search committees, the department and college promotion and tenure committees, the honorifics committee, the Commission on Research, and many others.
His tireless dedication to student learning is evident in the numerous teaching awards he has received, including the William E. Wine Award in 2015, five MBA Outstanding Faculty Awards, and the College of Business Certificate of Teaching Excellence Awards. Kumar has also received Pamplin’s Ph.D. Teaching Excellence Award twice as well as the Holtzman Outstanding Educator Award.
His international outreach has elevated Virginia Tech's reputation on the global stage. Through presentations at renowned conferences and collaborations with esteemed institutions worldwide, Kumar has fostered academic exchange and enriched the university's international brand. He regularly teaches at the Mumbai, India-based university NMIMS as part of an innovative partnership with Pamplin.
Kumar's research on repricing of executive stock options and on intermarket frontrunning, which has been published in some of finance’s top-tier journals, influenced regulatory practices in stock and options markets. His research has not only advanced academic knowledge, but also prompted regulatory changes, demonstrating Kumar’s impact beyond the academic realm.
He has served on over 50 Ph.D. dissertation committees in the Departments of Finance, Accounting, Management, Marketing, Economics, Building Construction, Civil Engineering, and Hospitality and Tourism Management. He chaired or co-chaired over 50 percent of the Ph.D. dissertations in the Finance department from 1999-2019.
Kumar’s dedication to undergraduate experiential learning and education is exemplified by his service as faculty co-advisor from 2007-09 to BASIS, a student-managed bond investment portfolio of approximately $5 million in Virginia Tech Foundation funds. Under the leadership of Kumar and George Morgan, BASIS thrived and placed nationally among the top 10 percent of all fixed-income managers – including professional fund managers during that period.
“Dr. Kumar’s career has been defined by outstanding research in several areas of finance,” said Singal. “Simultaneously, his mentoring of a large fraction of Virginia Tech’s finance Ph.D.s has created a community of scholars that continues to look to him for advice and counsel. His service to the department has also been manifold – as a department head, BASIS advisor, chair of Pamplin’s promotion and tenure committee, chair of Pamplin’s honorifics committee, and leading and serving on numerous other department, college, and university committees.
“I am thrilled that he has been recognized by the university with this honor.”
Added Clarke, “Recognition of Dr. Raman Kumar as an Alumni Distinguished Professor underscores his remarkable contributions to the university, particularly his dedication to students, and his profound influence on students and colleagues alike. Appointing Dr. Kumar as an Alumni Distinguished Professor will not only enrich our academic community but also inspire future scholars in business and finance.”
Kumar received his bachelor’s degree in business management from Banaras Hindu University, his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, and his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
