PACCAR Inc, a global technology leader in capital goods and financial services, has renewed its commitment to the Foster School of Business to fund the annual PACCAR Award for Teaching Excellence for the next decade. In doing so, the company is increasing the annual award stipend from $25,000 to $35,000. Each year’s winner will continue to be selected by a panel of MBA students.

“This teaching award is founded on the belief that the essence of education is what happens in the classroom between teacher and students,” says Mark Pigott, PACCAR chairman and CEO. “Learning is enhanced when a teacher challenges students to think critically, displays expertise in the subject matter and communicates enthusiasm for the learning process. The best teachers offer students a range of ideas from today’s practical solutions to tomorrow’s conceptual thinking—while emphasizing responsibilities to society expected of future leaders. The University of Washington graduate school of business represents some of the best teachers in the nation.”

The latest PACCAR Award winner is Mark Hillier, an associate professor of quantitative methods and an Evert McCabe Faculty Fellow. An expert distiller of complexities, Hillier uses simple, whimsical props like Lego building blocks and professorial action figures to help his students get their heads around mathematical modeling as a potent tool for making savvier decisions in all areas of business.

Hillier was the tenth winner, and there will be many more.

"The PACCAR Award is the most prestigious graduate school of business teaching award in the United States," says Dean James Jiambalvo. "We're extremely grateful for PACCAR's commitment to reward teaching excellence over the past 10 years. The award speaks to one of the core values of the Foster School of Business—that we recruit and retain faculty who are not just outstanding scholars, but who have the ability to connect with students as superb teachers and inspiring mentors."

Past PACCAR Award Winners

Karma Hadjimichalakis (1998)
Stephan Sefcik (1999)
Elizabeth Stearns (2000)
Jennifer Koski (2001)
Ali Tarhouni (2002)
Robert Higgins (2003)
Jane Kennedy (2004)
Daniel Turner (2005)
Mark Forehand (2006)
Mark Hillier (2007)

All ten PACCAR Award winners remain full-time members of the Foster School of Business faculty, sharing their remarkable teaching gifts with a new generation of aspiring business leaders.