It comes as no surprise that Kyle Ingram has received various prestigious student-voted awards five times during his seven-year professorial career at UCR.
“Dr. Ingram is an incredible professor and is, thankfully, doing what he is meant to do,” wrote one of the many students over the years nominating Ingram for a teaching award. “He makes an indelible mark on all his students, and I am thankful I was able to learn from such an incredible person.”
This year, the professor was honored with the 2023-2024 Golden Apple Award for Business Administration Pre-requisite Courses by undergraduates, who were asked to vote for professors in whose classes they had the best overall experience in learning, engagement, teaching style, and innovative teaching methods.
Previously, Ingram was honored with the 2022-2023 James Merino Endowed Innovation Award: Students select a faculty member demonstrating innovative teaching or using innovative tools and technologies in the classroom. For 2021-2022, students recognized Ingram with the Shulman Endowed Excellence in Teaching Award for overall effectiveness of teaching, including invoking curiosity and creating an academic environment that is open and encouraging.
Ingram says that central to his instructional philosophy is challenging the traditional notion of “right answers” and cultivating an appreciation for the complexity of social and psychological phenomena.
“I believe that while we may not have all the answers, there are certain things we do know, and it is important to develop sensitivity to different levels of certainty,” he says. “I aim to engage students in critical thinking and encourage them to question assumptions by presenting them with contradictory research findings and theories.”
Outside the classroom, Ingram will lead the UCR Business Brazil Leadership Experience, a three-week study trip covering two leadership courses encouraging students to “engage in a deeper understanding of human behavior in organizations,” working on the “idea that behavior is a function of a person in his/her environment.” Which means the way “we behave is largely dependent on who we are and the various contexts we find ourselves in,” according to the program description. Students will study leadership and international management with academics and practitioners in Brazil, in addition to interaction with business leaders with an emphasis on sustainable leadership.
In spring 2024, Ingram also served as coach for the UCR team representing the UCR School of Business at the Collegiate Leadership Competition, which saw 200 teams from the U.S. and Canada compete in two contests: the U.S. Invitational at John Caroll University in Ohio, where the UCR team placed fourth overall, and the online Global Challenge with UCR placing fifth overall, an impressive showing for the inaugural School of Business team participating in the competition.
During the 10 weeks of competition preparation, including weekly coaching sessions, “I watched a transformation that went beyond skill enhancement. It was a profound evolution perspective and unity,” says Ingram. “As our team prepared for the competition, they learned to see their vulnerabilities not as weaknesses but as invaluable strengths. This shift turned each session into a steppingstone, building trust and resilience.”
This dedication to helping students learn both about the subject at hand and about themselves is the hallmark of Ingram’s teaching, coaching, and mentorship.
“Professor Ingram shows great care for his students and has always made himself available for any questions,” wrote another nominating student. “He was the first professor to encourage me to step out of my comfort zone, and I’m glad he did.”