When students describe Julia Bayuk, they rarely begin with her titles or accomplishments. Instead, they talk about how she made the University of Delaware feel like home. They recall how quickly she learned their names, invited them to walk (or run) with her across campus, sent a quick check-in message before an exam or helped them rethink a major, a goal or a future they were not yet sure they could reach. For many, Bayuk becomes not only a professor but a connector, someone who builds community, sparks curiosity and makes even a large university feel personal.
That ability to combine academic rigor, innovative program design and genuine student-centered care is one of the reasons Poets&Quants named Bayuk a 2025 Best Undergraduate Business Professor, an honor recognizing some of the most impactful business educators in the world. For UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics, the recognition underscores the strength of its undergraduate teaching, highlighting faculty whose work shapes the student experience.
“Julia Bayuk has played a pivotal role in shaping the structure and direction of Lerner’s undergraduate programs,” said Oliver Yao, dean of the Lerner College. “Her leadership has strengthened how we recruit, support and prepare students, and her influence will be felt across the College for years to come.”
Bayuk, a professor of marketing and associate dean for undergraduate programs, joined UD in 2009. She earned a B.S. in economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and a Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Florida. In 17 years, she has helped transform Lerner’s undergraduate experience through reflective teaching, curricular innovation and an unwavering commitment to students.
“Through her innovative teaching methods, dedication to accessibility and equity, and ability to inspire students, Dr. Bayuk has become one of the most impactful educators at the University of Delaware,” said Sheryl Kline, deputy dean of the Lerner College.
A First-year Experience Built on Belonging
One of Bayuk’s most significant accomplishments was redesigning a course all first-year Lerner students take: BUAD 110 Basics of Business, a first-year seminar, to focus on leadership, teamwork and self-reflection/growth. The program’s emphasis on exploration of industries, mentorship and belonging is rooted in Bayuk’s own undergraduate experience at Penn’s Wharton School, where a strong sense of community through a first-year seminar shaped her academic and personal growth. She wanted to create that same environment for students beginning their college careers at UD.
BUAD 110 helps students build their networks early through connections with alumni, faculty, peer mentors and employers. The course includes applied projects with nonprofit and business partners, encouraging students to develop confidence while contributing meaningfully to companies in Delaware and beyond.
Since 2020, more than 3,000 students have partnered with 200-plus organizations, making the course one of UD’s most successful models of experiential learning.
“I want every student to feel seen,” Bayuk said. “Curiosity and community shape how they learn, how they think and how they grow. If they start their time at Lerner feeling supported, everything else becomes possible.”
Guiding Program Innovation at Lerner
As chair of the Lerner College’s Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, Bayuk led several initiatives that expanded Lerner’s academic offerings and aligned them with industry needs.
This included partnering with Lerner’s graduate business programs to expand accelerated graduate pathways; collaborating with the Honors College and College of Engineering to offer a computer science and business interdisciplinary degree; and implementing the Flex Pathway, which broadens access to business education for Pell-eligible and underrepresented students, from associate to bachelor’s degree.
These efforts reflect Bayuk’s belief that business education must be both academically rigorous and genuinely accessible.
Staying Current Through Intentional Learning
Bayuk works consistently to stay current with trends in higher education and business. She participates in mentorship events, leadership development programs and networking forums with senior leaders across industries. Presenting at events such as Leadership Delaware and connecting with mentors at Lerner’s Executive Mentoring Program Dinner help her understand employer and community expectations, while close collaboration with UD advisors and student services teams keeps her attuned to the evolving needs of incoming students.
“To serve students well, we have to understand the world they’re entering,” she said. “That means listening to employers, to educators and especially to students themselves.”
Her enthusiasm for mentoring has been consistent since childhood. She finds energy in students’ successes and remains motivated by the belief that faculty can help students build lives of meaning and confidence.
Scholarship Rooted in Well-Being, Strengthened by Community
Bayuk’s research explores how individuals pursue goals and make decisions in areas such as personal finance, healthy living and mindful consumption. One of her most influential findings challenges the assumption that detailed planning always increases success. In some situations, she explains, plans can make people overly rigid, causing them to overlook alternative pathways and reducing their likelihood of achieving their goals.
Her scholarship has appeared in leading journals, including the Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Psychology, Journal of Public Policy & Marketing and Journal of Business Research.
Bayuk frequently highlights UD’s strong faculty culture, describing Lerner as a place where colleagues share ideas openly, celebrate one another’s accomplishments and step in to support each other. This sense of community, she said, allows faculty to take risks and design programs that truly meet student needs.
“I feel incredibly supported here,” she said. “This is a community that lifts people up.”
Teaching With Purpose and Momentum
During conversations with colleagues, Bayuk often jokes that her peers might describe her as “insane”, a humorous acknowledgment of her relentless drive to improve programs and generate new ideas. She is known for pushing boundaries, piloting new approaches and rethinking long-standing structures.
Her hands-on approach, paired with high expectations and extensive feedback, has earned her a reputation as both challenging and deeply supportive.
“I want students to grow,” she said. “That sometimes means pushing them, and sometimes it means walking beside them. Usually it means both.”
Bayuk credits her teaching assistants, mentors and colleagues for helping create an environment where she can innovate with confidence.
She believes the future of business education must balance technical skills with character development, empathy, resilience, humility and collaboration. She hopes to see even stronger connections between academic programs and the external community, giving students opportunities to experiment, learn to pivot when things are working as planned and grow confidently.
“What I want for our students is confidence and curiosity,” she said. “If they leave Lerner believing they have the drive and the ability to make a difference, whatever path they choose, that’s the greatest outcome we can hope for.”