Kivanc Avrenli, professor of practice in finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, has been named one of , a distinction recognizing exceptional teaching, mentorship and impact on students.

The honor is based on Poets&Quants’ comprehensive evaluation of nominations from schools worldwide. Professors are scored on both research (30%) and teaching (70%), with reviewers considering scholarly influence, media visibility, teaching awards, innovations in the classroom and the depth of student impact.

A Transformative Teacher

Avrenli was nominated by David Weinbaum, chair of the school’s Department of Finance, who highlighted the extraordinary reach and quality of Avrenli’s teaching. “Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2025, Dr. Avrenli has taught 65 in-person, 3-credit courses, reaching approximately 2,700 students,” Weinbaum wrote. “He consistently earns near-perfect ratings from students, and he is the highest-rated professor at Syracuse University on Rate My Professor.”

Poets&Quants noted this quote from a student evaluation, “Dr. Avrenli is hands-down the best professor I’ve had. He walks into class with a contagious smile, turns stats into something you actually look forward to, and makes you feel like you can tackle anything. He’s the gold standard for what a professor should be—clear, hilarious and always in your corner.”

When asked what sets him apart as an educator, Avrenli joked: “My energy level, which is the human equivalent of a quad-shot espresso, and the lively animated visuals I deploy to demystify complex concepts.”

A Record of Excellence

At Whitman, Avrenli teaches managerial statistics and specializes in applied statistical methods, probability theory, statistical modeling and experimental design. He received the Faculty of the Year Award in both 2021 and 2022, was named Undergraduate Faculty of the Year in 2020 and has been selected six times as Best Faculty and Class Marshal by U.S. Army students in Syracuse’s Defense Comptrollership Program. He has received the universitywide Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award, the Whitman School Teaching Fellow Award and a Faculty Recognition Award from the Office of Disability Services.

Before joining Whitman, he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he was named to the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students seven consecutive times and received the Alumni Award in Teaching Excellence.

Academic and Industry Impact

Avrenli holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Bogaziçi University in Istanbul—formerly Robert College, the first American college established outside the United States. He later completed a second M.S. in statistics and a Ph.D. in civil engineering with a specialization in commercial aviation safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. His expertise in commercial aviation safety and statistical modeling has made him a frequent media commentator in outlets including Newsweek, Law360 and The Washington Post.

Well-Deserved Global Recognition

Poets&Quants received more than 1,200 nominations representing nearly 200 individual professors from more than 60 of the best undergraduate business programs worldwide. The recognition spotlights educators who shape the next generation of business leaders through extraordinary dedication and impact.

When asked what he is most grateful for, Avrenli says “my students, my colleagues and any student who watches my lecture and homework solution videos before asking me the question the video already answers.  Also, the cloudy, cold and snowy Syracuse winters.”

To read Avrenli’s full profile and interview, visit

The at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management welcomes Thomas Constable G’04, G’04, as its director and Ltc. (ret) John G. Dean IV  G’04 MBA, G’04, as associate director.

Both Constable and Dean are both graduates of the Defense Comptrollership Program (DCP) and earned dual master’s degrees—an MBA from the Whitman School and a master’s degree in public administration (MPA) from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs—as classmates in 2004.

Thomas Constable, director, Defense Programs

From 1987 to 2008, Constable was on active duty with the U.S. Army and is a retired civilian senior executive with the Department of Defense. He was the associate director of the Defense Program from August 2023 through February 2024 before moving into his current role.

Constable had a long career as a member of the senior executive service with the Department of Defense. Prior to joining the Whitman School, he was the principal assistant secretary of defense for manpower and reserve affairs from 2022 to 2023 and the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for readiness from 2019 to 2022, in the Office of the Secretary of Defense.

Constable also held the position of director of resource integration for the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence and as the associate director for military operations/comptroller for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, as well the senior financial official for the U.S. Army, Africa, and as a senior budget analyst for the Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller.

As he settles into his role as director of Whitman’s Defense Program, Constable says, “I loved my own experience with this program, and the opportunity came at a time when I had 35 years with the Department of Defense,” he says. “I really wanted to teach but never had the chance. So, it all came together beautifully, and I haven’t looked back.”

Ltc. (ret) John G. Dean, associate director, Defense Programs

Dean started in his new role as associate director of Defense Programs in the Whitman School on April 1. He retired from the U.S. Army after 25 years of active duty service. Before joining the Whitman School, he was the chief of the Agency Contingency and Coordination branch of the Defense Threat Reduction Agency in Alexandria, Virginia, from 2002 to 2024.

He worked for the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency as a regional chief of regulatory compliance and chief of chemical security in New York City from 2017 to 2022.  Before DHS, he served as the regional program manager for the Radiological Assistance Program, National Nuclear Security Agency in Idaho Falls, Idaho, from 2013 to 2017. He is also a freelance writer, organizational consultant and training developer.

“I am very pleased to come back to Syracuse University and the Whitman Defense Programs after 20 years,” says Dean. “I’m thankful for the knowledge I received here, and I’m eager to share my years of military and federal experience with students and Defense Program future leaders.”

“The Whitman School is fortunate to welcome Tom and John to the Defense Programs,” says J. Michael Haynie, executive dean at the Whitman School and the University’s vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation, as well as a 14-year veteran as an officer in the U.S. Air Force. “Their collective experience both as active duty military and with various agencies within the Department of Defense will not only greatly benefit our students but will help our programs continue to reach a broader audience across the DOD and the national security community.”