The Kogod School of Business at American University announced today the appointment of Professor Timothy Timura as the Nulsen Endowed Professor of Practice. The first endowed position given to term faculty in the university’s history, the role was established with a generous gift from Kogod School of Business alumnus and leading real estate developer Charlie Nulsen. Mr. Nulsen has previously provided meaningful gifts to his alma mater, including the creation and funding of the experiential learning Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) program.
Term faculty are traditionally considered “practitioners”—scholar-teachers who bring exceptional industry experience to the classroom. Before joining Kogod’s faculty as a term professor in 2015, Professor Timura, CFA, CAIA, had a distinguished career spanning more than three decades in institutional investment management, managing billions of dollars for organizations including the State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio, Principal Financial, and Federated Investors. Since joining Kogod nine years ago, Professor Timura has made a profound impact on students, earning the undergraduate teacher of the year award for three consecutive years.
Professor Timura's influence extends beyond the classroom through his supervision of the $1M Student Managed Investment Fund and the $300K+ student-managed REIT. Under his guidance, students conduct original research, make investment decisions, and often outperform market benchmarks. Additionally, Professor Timura spearheaded a groundbreaking program wherein students advise the American University endowment investment committee on investments of $10M in sustainable funds. By leading these unique, hands-on learning experiences, Professor Timura has singlehandedly impacted the lives and careers of dozens—if not hundreds—of Kogod and AU students.
“No other business school offers such a comprehensive array of experiential learning programs and professional certification initiatives led by a professor like Tim Timura,” said Kogod School of Business Dean David Marchick.
Hundreds of AU alumni owe their career launch to Tim’s mentorship and expertise.— David Marchick, Dean, Kogod School of Business
“I am thrilled to see a faculty endowment established to recognize professors of practice,” said Acting Provost Vicky Wilkins. “Tim Timura is especially deserving of this honor given his deep commitment to teaching and the lasting impact he has made on so many students’ lives.”
In addition to honoring Professor Timura, Mr. Nulsen’s gift will also establish the Timura Fellows program. This initiative will support the most enterprising and accomplished Kogod students who demonstrate a passion for investing. Timura Fellows will receive financial support for real-world learning experiences, such as attending Wall Street investment conferences and company analyst days, pursuing highly coveted professional certifications (CFA, CAIA, CMT, FRM), and accessing elite internships and professional research opportunities after having worked with state-of-the-art technology and software resources.
“The Timura Fellows program will provide the funding to have our students directly engage with the real world of investment analysis and active portfolio management,” said Professor Timura. “I am honored to be the first term faculty at AU to receive the distinction of an endowed professorship, and I am energized knowing that this will help propel innumerable students at AU to the front of the class in internship and job market searches.”
Professor Timura’s endowed professorship represents the fourth new endowed position established at Kogod this year, and one of nine established during AU’s Change Can’t Wait Campaign. Mr. Nulsen’s generous gift tops off a record-breaking year for fundraising at Kogod and makes a meaningful contribution to the university’s campaign goals.
