Professor of Practice Sean Jasso teaches both inside and outside the classroom—sometimes, way outside of the classroom. For the past 15 years, Jasso has led, as a volunteer, the UCR School of Business’s educational domestic and international travel program, a unique initiative that gives students an opportunity to experience learning far beyond textbooks and lectures. These programs have taken students to a variety of destinations, exposing them to diverse business cultures, political systems, and economic environments. By traveling together, students not only strengthen their academic understanding but also build bonds with their peers and faculty that last long after graduation.
Jasso has also served as advisor to many victorious UCR Business teams at student competitions, both locally and nationally, over the same time span. His guidance has supported multiple winning streaks at the annual UC Davis Case Competition, the International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition, and the UCR Women In Business Case Competition. These competitions require rigorous preparation, teamwork, and the ability to apply classroom knowledge to real-world problems. Students under his mentorship often note that his coaching style emphasizes both critical thinking and professional confidence—qualities that consistently lead to success on the competition stage.
Due to these endeavors and his popular in-classroom instruction style, Jasso was recognized with the student-voted 2023–2024 Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award. The accolade was established by an alumnus and his wife to honor David Shulman, a retired economics professor, and annually rewards an exemplary business professor who embodies teaching excellence just as Shulman did. For Jasso, the award not only acknowledges his classroom teaching, but also his dedication to extending education into experiences that prepare students for their future careers.
During the award banquet, Jaya Gazula ’24 shared a student’s comment: “Dr. Jasso embodies excellence and fosters that in his students. His involvement with the case studies and competitions highlights that education extends beyond the classroom; this approach not only enriches academic learning but prepares students for future success.”
In 2023, Jasso further advanced opportunities for students by establishing the Dr. Sean Drake Jasso Global Endowed Scholarship. This scholarship funds participation in UCR Global Programs, with a preference for School of Business third- and fourth-year students. For Jasso, creating the scholarship was the natural outcome of years of involvement in global programs.
“In all the years that I’ve done the global programs, I’ve been moving toward creating a scholarship,” he explains. Jasso, who also received the student-voted Golden Apple Award in 2023, 2018, and 2017, emphasizes his goal clearly: “I want to help students in need see the world.”
Among the several excursions he conducts annually, Jasso led a student group to China last summer for an immersive experience designed to help them better understand the nation’s considerable worldwide economic and political influence. Students had the chance to see firsthand how China’s rapidly growing economy shapes global markets and how cultural values intersect with international business practices.
“A global mindset enables students to broaden their perspectives on everything,” says Jasso. Firsthand, on-the-ground exposure in a very different business landscape is tough to beat when it comes to expanding students’ academic résumés.
Ultimately, Jasso sees these efforts as building confidence in his students and helping them strengthen their competitive value in the labor market. By combining classroom rigor, international exposure, and real-world problem solving, he continues to shape students into leaders prepared for success in an increasingly interconnected world