Professors We Love: Michael Ferri

By Jeff Wood, BS Finance ’03

There was a rumor, one might say an urban legend, about Michael Ferri, professor of finance, that circulated within the School of Management while I was at Mason. The tale goes that Dr. Ferri would sit around the dinner table with his family and laugh uproariously about how he made students cry.

Like most urban legends, this story is not based in reality. Yet, with this tale in the back of my mind, I walked into his Finance 311 Principles of Investments class in fall 2001 with fear in my heart, imagining the stories he would chuckle about that evening after ripping me apart. What I did experience in Finance 311, and the subsequent Finance 411 class, is worthy of an urban legend in its own respect.

Dr. Ferri is a world-renowned financial mind whose passion for teaching is clearly evident. He challenges his students by making them apply the complex material in books to questions he poses in class. His students must learn how to think quickly and respond articulately to questions, skills I have used in meetings at work. To this day, I still use the analytical skills and knowledge I learned in his class.

Regression analysis, beta, correlation, covariance—these are all topics that I have used in the workplace and as I have furthered my education. It is a testament to Dr. Ferri’s teaching that I am able to remember and use these concepts to this day. It is also precisely the reason why I felt the need to write this statement. This is my chance to spread a tale based in reality: Dr. Ferri is a great teacher!

Michael G. Ferri holds the Foundation Chair in Finance at Mason’s School of Management. He was named the MBA Teacher of the Year in 1992 and an Outstanding Faculty Member in 1989.