Academic X’cellence: Sharing stories from our inspiring StFX community
It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with StFX that our campus is filled with highly engaged students, educators, researchers, and leaders. Academic X’cellence shines a spotlight on members of our educational community to find out more about their unique experiences—both inside and outside of the classroom. (To see the full series, please click HERE.)
Here we meet Dr. Neil Maltby who teaches entrepreneurship and international business in StFX’s Gerald Schwartz School of Business. Along with his teaching and research, Dr. Maltby, in partnership with the StFX Discoverbox, leads the entrepreneurial ecosystem at StFX, where he has provided opportunity and mentored countless students. Dr. Maltby, a past StFX Outstanding Teaching Award recipient, has also led student courses and taught international business in China. This fall, he is also a co-organizer of Impact X, a two-day summit on entrepreneurship and social change.
Dr. Neil Maltby: Helping students excel through the entrepreneurial ecosystem
Tell us about yourself.
I have been a professor of entrepreneurship and international business in the Gerald Schwartz School of Business at StFX for 25 years. My teaching and research focus on entrepreneurial start-ups and social enterprises, growth and internationalization. Some of my recent research has focused on craft breweries and the distinct positioning and growth challenges they undertake. In the Schwartz School, I teach the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course as well as New Venture Development, Entrepreneurial Finance and International Business. In partnership with the StFX Discoverbox’s Paula Brophy, the Schwartz School’s Abede Mack, the Faculty of Education’s Greg Hadley, the Entrepreneur in Residence Alex Dorward, the entrepreneurship society Enactus, and the Department of Advancement’s Alexis MacDonald, I also help lead the entrepreneurial ecosystem at StFX. This involves supporting students and new venture development, business model development, customer discovery, launches, and fundraising through student pitch events and mentored entrepreneurial internships. I have also led several student exchanges to China and offered courses in international business at South-Central University for Nationalities, Wuhan, China and Changzhou University, Changzhou, China.
Tell us about your teaching philosophy?
Learning is the most important thing we do in our lives as it presents the opportunity to transform our world. With my entrepreneurial students, I always start with the question of purpose: “What problems are you going to solve?” Problems represent an opportunity to launch creative thinking and innovative solutions to initiate change. I also use experiential approaches to learning like prototyping, field research, and participating in financial pitch competitions because I believe they provide the best opportunity to generate deeper, more meaningful learning.
What impact do you hope your teaching will have?
In my classes, students are tasked with developing models for new ventures and social initiatives. My primary hope is they will launch these ventures or work in this space. I work in and outside of the classroom setting to help students find their way through the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Tell us about any innovations in your classroom or research?
Making connections and providing students with real world learning experience is important to me. I link my entrepreneurial courses to the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem at StFX and beyond of pitch events, internships, and fundraising to support students experiential learning. In my classes, I also prioritize linking students to theory and practice by connecting them to some of the research work I am doing around start-ups and social enterprises.
Tell us about any awards, accomplishments or involvements.
Over the last 25 years, I have supported more than 5,000 students and I’ve helped organize over 40 student pitch events, mentored summer entrepreneurial internships and supported students and graduates in ongoing ventures. I am currently helping co-organize Impact X, a summit about entrepreneurship and social change here at StFX in November.
What drew you to teaching, and at the post-secondary level?
I completed a B.Ed. and planned on being an elementary school teacher, but then I did an MBA and fell in love with entrepreneurship. I am particularly drawn to entrepreneurial founders because they are such dynamic people working on creative solutions to problems. Teaching and doing case research about start-ups enabled me to pursue both.
What excites you about teaching at StFX?
The connections I make with students are particularly meaningful, and many of these last years after the students have graduated from StFX. I find they demonstrate an inspiring orientation to making a difference.
What’s something surprising about yourself?
I am a failed homebrewer (even though my last name is Maltby!) so I try to make up for this by researching the craft beer industry.
