New Professor Is 'Happy' to Be Here
Virginia Rendler
Accounting and business professor Dave McGrady’s office might just be the happiest place on campus. After all, it’s full of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys, which line several shelves from the floor up, accented by cartoons framed on the wall.
When he isn’t working on building his collection, the accounting and business professor is undoubtedly dedicated to teaching these subjects. “I enjoy it because I think it's a challenge,” he explained. “I have professional experience in those fields, and it's easier to teach something when you've lived it, and you're not just reading about it from a textbook.”
McGrady received his BA in accounting and business from Franklin College and his MBA from the University of Texas at Arlington. He has worked as a tax manager, program director for financial planning at Eastern Illinois University and is a certified public accountant.
He chose Manchester for its size and location. “I like the size of the school, and I wanted to stay in the Midwest,” McGrady said. “I was familiar with it. I grew up in Indiana, down by Lafayette.”
His children did not have the same attraction to the Midwest that McGrady feels. He has four children, spread across the country from San Diego, California to Richmond, Virginia. Their careers vary from pilots to architects, and they inspired his collection of Happy Meal toys that now adorn his office. “When my kids were younger, we used to go to McDonald’s fairly regularly, so I got tired of stepping on kids’ meal toys because they'd leave them lying out,” McGrady said. “Then students started giving me a lot of those too, so it's become something to put on the shelf.”
McGrady’s transition into a new position has been aided by his colleagues’ support. “I think they're very dedicated and they've been very helpful in terms of getting me oriented toward how things work here,” he said.
The College of Business is new this year. This transition, bringing in fresh faculty and a redesigned program, has offered students new opportunities both within the business major and after graduation.
The College of Business focuses on preparing Manchester students for a career in a variety of businesses and organizations. Students have the opportunity to explore many facets of the business world, including internships and experiential learning.
McGrady has many goals for the semester and for his career, which further demonstrates his commitment to his subject. His goals range from the modest—understanding Canvas—to honing his already impressive teaching skills. “I've already taught most of the content I'm teaching now, so I'm mostly just getting a feel for what level of knowledge students come into the class here with,” McGrady said. “Long term, my goal is to continue to get better at teaching. I think anybody who teaches wants to get better at their craft.”