Stephanie E. Raible, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship and the Faculty Director of Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at University of Delaware’s Lerner College of Business and Economics, has been named a top 50 best professor in undergrad business education by Poets&Quants.
Raible has been a part of Delaware’s Horn Entrepreneurship since 2018 and Lerner College since 2021, with an affiliated faculty appointment with the University’s Biden School of Public Policy and Administration.
Over the past 12 years, she has taught and developed curricula across nine academic institutions and non-profits in the United States and Europe and has taught and led interdisciplinary study abroad programs in Germany and Thailand. Her work has reached thousands of learners through her curriculum development and teaching efforts and recent textbook, “Social entrepreneurship: A practice-based approach to social innovation.”
For her high impact contributions to the field and at UD, she has received institutional, local, national, and international recognitions from the University of Delaware, Delaware Business Times, Deshpande Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education, and the International Council for Small Business. In 2025, she will be a Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Professor at Management Center Innsbruck in Austria.
BACKGROUND
At current institution since what year? 2018
Education: BA in Italian studies and GradCert in socially responsible and sustainable apparel business, University of Delaware; MSEd in higher education management, University of Pennsylvania; MA in lifelong learning policy and management, Institute of Education-London and University of Deusto; EdD in organizational leadership, Northeastern University
List of Undergraduate courses you teach: Social entrepreneurship, Social entrepreneurship practicum, International entrepreneurial ecosystems, and Introduction to Entrepreneurship
TELL US ABOUT LIFE AS A BUSINESS SCHOOL PROFESSOR
I knew I wanted to be a business school professor when … I first was offered to teach a college-level class in 2012. I had always wanted to try teaching, and now, all these years later, I am still in it!
What are you currently researching and what is the most significant discovery you’ve made from it? I will be a bit vague because my co-authors and I are still working through it, but we are looking at how women entrepreneurs engage with entrepreneurial stereotypes. Some have positioned women to be passive victims when confronting entrepreneurial stereotypes, but we are finding the opposite to be true.
If I weren’t a business school professor, I’d be … a coach, consultant, and entrepreneur. I have dabbled in coaching and consulting before, and I even taught a counseling techniques course earlier in my career. Even if not teaching entrepreneurship, I would want to remain within entrepreneurship circles because I feel I have a deep understanding of the area, and I love the spirit of the community.
What do you think makes you stand out as a professor? I do a lot of perspective-taking as a faculty member to reflect on the student experience. I am all about developing independent, critical thinking in my students. As much as possible, I do not impose my views in the classroom beyond presenting the content because if they are able to own their learning, it will stay with them.
One word that describes my first time teaching: Fulfilling
Here’s what I wish someone would’ve told me about being a business school professor: It’s the best career for so many reasons, and the impact of business schools can—and do—extend well beyond the world of business.
Professor I most admire and why: I have had a few professors stand out to me through my time as both a student and as faculty, but the teaching of Dr. Alan Fox, professor of philosophy at Delaware, is still something that resonates with me for his ability to hold a high standard and to make students feel like an essential part of the conversation.
TEACHING BUSINESS SCHOOL STUDENTS
What do you enjoy most about teaching business students? I love their ambition to be both dreamers and doers, which inspires me every day.
What is most challenging? Some students are so focused on getting good grades that they miss out on taking advantage of all the great resources and opportunities afforded to business students, which was captured well in a recent Poets&Quants article.
In one word, describe your favorite type of student: Curious. I love it when students ask questions and think about the content beyond the classroom. I have even had students email me years after I had them in class–I live for those moments.
In one word, describe your least favorite type of student: Students seeking an A without wanting to put in the work. While I understand that students feel pressured to attain certain grades and GPAs, students who approach me about grades rather than with a developmental or learning orientation can be a challenge because we have different priorities and expectations of one another.
When it comes to grading, I think students would describe me as … Tough but fair. It’s very attainable to do well in my classes, but it takes dedicating the time to do so and being organized, thorough, and thoughtful.
LIFE OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What are your hobbies? I love traveling, going on long walks, and thrift shopping. Over the past five years, I have only purchased my clothing secondhand. While thrifting can be daunting and time-consuming, I love the challenge, and I strive to be a walking billboard for buying secondhand first.
How will you spend your summer? This summer, I will be in Austria for my Fulbright through July. I am planning to attend some conferences otherwise, and when returning to the States, I plan to spend time with family and friends as much as possible.
Favorite place(s) to vacation: London. I had the chance to live there when I was in my 20s, and when I visit, there’s a portion of it that feels like going home.
Favorite book(s): I don’t have a favorite, but I have always loved a good non-fiction audiobook. I have listened to four over this past month, so I am always open to recommendations.
What is currently your favorite movie and/or show, and what is it about the film or program that you enjoy so much? Because I am constantly thinking, I love watching comedies to relax and “switch off” a bit.
What is your favorite type of music or artist(s) and why? I love pop from the 80s and 90s. Spotify has let me know for several years running that I am in its top listeners of Prince, and I don’t know whether I should be proud or embarrassed about that. Honestly, I feel somewhere in between.
THOUGHTS AND REFLECTIONS
If I had my way, the business school of the future would have much more of this … I’m biased here because I teach social innovation and entrepreneurship, but I want to continue to see more on societal and environmental dilemmas. Because business plays such a key part in change, future business leaders need to prepare for a world that is more complex and interconnected. To accomplish big things, students need to learn to speak to and work with people who don’t think like them. Business schools are well positioned to reinforce and inform because we teach students how to think, not what to think.
In my opinion, companies and organizations today need to do a better job at … Allowing for intrapreneurship. My students want to work for companies that are open to their input, and they want pathways to explore and grow their leadership early. While this might not work seamlessly in every organization, there are small ways every company can foster creativity, lifelong learning, and perspective-building in its employees.
I’m grateful for … Everything I have. I feel lucky to do what I do. I often describe my initial career trajectory as a “Jackson Pollock painting.” It might have looked like I was just splattering paint as I was going along, but each stroke was intentional and now shows a collective picture of layers and colors. Being able to step back, I am so proud of it all, and I am honored to help students start painting on their canvases.