Fingertips clacking against calculators. Thoughts rushing from one equation to another. Silence permeating the air with a haze of productivity. Humanity followed analysis and numbers since the very beginning, provoking thoughtful conversations and discoveries. Every new generation finds something incredible to add to the world; nothing is unchangeable. Yet numbers provide a “true North” that provides a constant in the midst of shifting sands. Always changing, mathematical concepts have evolved along with humans, allowing them to strengthen their places on Earth. In order to understand ways of life, humans need math, and in order to understand these numerical concepts, students need teachers.

The Bottom Line

Numbers and business have often worked together in our world of careers and dreams. At Rosemont College, Professor Key Coleman assists students in their ongoing understanding of accounting, finance, and business. Teaching accounting, auditing, money and banking, quantitative analysis and investments, Professor Coleman offers a wide variety of subjects for many students to explore. He states, with an excited glimmer in his eyes, “I wouldn’t normally consider myself a math professor, but I do have enough business background to use the quantitative tools that business people use every day and to teach how they’re used.”

An Inspiring Passion For Finance

When Professor Coleman started his own business, he was surprised one morning to find an email requesting he teach a course at Cabrini College. After sleeping on the thought the next morning he found “several emails offering opportunities to teach finance and Excel at Cabrini…I taught for two years there, then got connected with Professor Dr. Hagedorn, and made a really smooth transition [to Rosemont].” Teaching finance is one of his greatest joys, he explains. “My career has been more finance than accounting oriented. Something [involving] economics just really hypes up something in my teeth.” Professor Coleman’s passion for finance shines through in his teaching. He inspires students to engage more and explore the world of the analytical side of business.

Professor Coleman’s fondness of Rosemont grew once he began teaching at the college. “I like the class size,” he says with a thoughtful smile. “[I] haven’t been teaching that long, but I feel like I have a handle on my core body of knowledge…yet, I’m always looking for better ways to teach. And I get support from people like Adam [Lusk] and Professor Hagedorn, who have given me small hints [that] just help tremendously.”

Success in Numbers

As a chair of the Professional Development Committee of Rosemont College, Professor Coleman views the position as “somewhat of a sport itself, deciding where funds go to support grants.” Professor Coleman works with many departments to ensure that faculty members receive grants that will spur them towards success and will enhance the academic community here at Rosemont. Recently, some of those recipients returned, describing their experiences. Thus, increasing Professor Coleman’s understanding of what the best tracks are to take to help faculty bolster their education. “It’s a two way street,” he explains, “You present something and learn something you often don’t expect.” By encouraging faculty to bring back scholarly gems from their professional development experience, Professor Coleman increases the odds of the next generation about to rush out into the world. He also provides them another piece of inspiration.

Exponential Growth

Professor Coleman strives to teach his students that they are far more capable at their goals than they sometimes think. He explains excitement, “You can do a lot better than you think by asking questions, showing up to class, just doing the basic blocking and tackling of a student. You can perform a lot better, because you have a lot of support behind you…You can achieve more than you might expect of yourself.”

Investmentments That Go Above and Beyond

Always growing and learning, Professor Coleman appreciates how “some students have really taken advantage of my help sessions that I offer…I think their willingness to take that advantage has been something that’s remarkable.” As students visit him for help, requesting his knowledge outside of class, Professor Coleman learns more not just about that student and how to help them. He also how to excel in his own teaching strategies.

Through tenacity and passion, Professor Coleman prepares his students for the business world full of finance, numbers, and inspiration. Students stride forward with confidence and excitement. They tackle a world that constantly changes, always looking toward the future that Professor Coleman inspires them to explore.