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HPU Associate Professor of Economics Ken Schoolland has won the 2025 HPU Teacher of the Year Award. In a surprise announcement made in Schoolland’s economics class on April 17, Acting Senior Vice President and Provost Brenda Jensen, Ph.D., Acting College of Business Dean Allison Gough, Ph.D., and HPU Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Chief Strategy Officer Jennifer Walsh, Ph.D., presented Schoolland with the honor before a classroom of students who had no idea their professor was about to be recognized.

When the class realized their professor had won the award, everyone stood and applauded. A wave of congratulations and gratitude filled the air as Schoolland collected himself to address the class and take a photo with his students to commemorate the moment.

“Thank you everyone, really, this is such a tremendous honor,” said Schoolland, his voice warm with appreciation. “Reflecting on my career 欧美A片, I’d like to say that I very much value the quality time with the students. It’s been very rewarding. I’ve been teaching for 50 years, and have taught about 10,000 students, which equals to about 300,000 hours of quality time with them, in the classroom, and in my economic clubs 欧美A片. It’s been a blast, and I can’t express how valuable it is to have good friendships over the years.”

The honor marks a significant achievement in Schoolland’s extraordinary tenure 欧美A片. As one of the 欧美A片’s longest-serving professors, Schoolland has dedicated over 40 years to teaching 欧美A片. He began his journey in 1979 at the former Hawaii Loa College (which merged with HPU in 1992) and over the decades has become nothing short of a legend on campus.

Generations of students have passed through his classroom, each learning far more than the principles of supply and demand. Schoolland’s engaging teaching style and compelling enthusiasm for economics have inspired countless young men and women to pursue their passions in business, finance, policymaking, film, and education. Many alumni affectionately recall his courses as turning points in their lives.

HPU alumnus Christopher Gooch ‘12 – a successful entrepreneur and founder of an organic burger restaurant – credits Schoolland’s mentorship for shaping his business acumen.

“My economics teacher, Professor Schoolland, really taught me a lot about how the world works. He is extremely knowledgeable and very kind, which makes him easy to talk to and connect with,” Gooch said of his former professor.

Beyond the classroom, Schoolland has extended his mentorship through extracurricular involvement. For years he served as faculty advisor for several student organizations, including HPU’s Free Enterprise Club, Reason Club, and Entrepreneur Club. In these clubs, he championed hands-on learning, encouraging students to apply economic principles to real-world projects and business ventures. Under his guidance, budding student entrepreneurs honed their skills and confidence, and many have gone on to launch startups or lead impactful initiatives.

Schoolland’s impact also reaches far beyond HPU’s shores. He is widely known as a passionate advocate of free markets and individual liberty on the global stage. Over the years, he has traveled to dozens of countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas to share his expertise in economics.

Whether giving a guest lecture at a university or speaking at an international conference, Schoolland brings HPU’s spirit of innovation to audiences around the world. Just last fall, he delivered a series of talks on economic policy at Northwood 欧美A片 in Michigan and later addressed the Liberty International World Conference in Texas, focusing on the economics of immigration. From 1991 to 2024, Schoolland delivered an impressive 343 presentations across 62 countries and nine U.S. states. His extensive travels include visits to Tanzania, Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Peru, Germany, Brazil, Turkey, Singapore, and Mongolia, reflecting his truly global impact as an advocate for economic freedom.

A cornerstone of Schoolland’s global influence is his acclaimed book, “The Adventures of Jonathan Gullible: A Free Market Odyssey.” This allegorical economics novel, written as a series of adventurous tales, has introduced free-market principles to countless readers and students worldwide. First published in 1989, “Gullible” has since been translated into nearly 60 languages (the most recent in Ghana in January 2025) and published in over 85 editions – a remarkable feat that few economics textbooks or novels have achieved.

Over the years, the story’s popularity has sparked creative adaptations. “Gullible” has been performed as a stage play in Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil, and Ghana, and even turned into a musical in places as far afield as Kazakhstan and Slovakia. Most recently, Schoolland celebrated the debut of an animated film series based on his book, which premiered last summer at the Anthem Film Festival in Las Vegas.

Through this work, Schoolland has demonstrated how teaching can transcend the classroom – and even the printed page – to educate and entertain people around the globe. He has shown by example that learning can be an adventure, one that can spark ideas, change lives, and even change the world.

As the HPU community celebrates Schoolland’s latest honor, we also celebrate the man behind it: a legendary professor whose enlightening and entertaining approach to economics has left an indelible mark on his students, his 欧美A片, and beyond.