Jim Luke [teaching]

I’m Jim Luke and this is my teaching website.  It’s where I keep stuff related to my teaching:  class materials, syllabii, pages of links, my teaching portfolio, my academic vitae, and presentations on teaching I’ve made. I also have a blog  on economic issues, but that’s at econproph.com.   I also have a business/technology professional website at plansolutions.com.

My Educational Background:

After taking some time off after high school (and deciding I didn’t really want to work in a warehouse my whole life), I attended Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio for my undergraduate and master’s degrees.  I attained:

• B.S. Business Finance (1977)
• B.A. Communication (1977)
• MBA with major in Marketing (1982)
• M.S. Social and Applied Economics (1989)

After I moved to Michigan in 1985, I started at Wayne State University in 1987 and started working towards my Ph.D. in Economics.  I completed all the course work towards a Ph.D. except for dissertation when my studies got interrupted in the early 1990′s.  My fields of specialization in economics are: the history of economic thought, economic history, labor/human resource economics, industrial organization, and the economics of intellectual
property & innovation.

My Work Background

I’ve had a diverse work career.  Academically, I’ve taught full-time for over 12 years.  Five years were at Madonna
University in Livonia, MI in the late 1980′s-to early 1990′s.   I  took a full-time appointment as professor of economics at Lansing Community College in 2002, where I’ve taught ever since.  In addition to full-time teaching, I’ve taught as an adjunct since 1984 at schools including Monterey Peninsula College (California), Henry Ford Community College, and Walsh College.

I’ve also had extensive corporate experience.  I have worked for the NCR Corp and the Mead Corp.  in Dayton, Ohio as both a software/process analyst and as the director of business & market planning.  I also started and operated my own business planning consulting firm called Planning Solutions Group.  In 16 years of business, Planning Solutions developed business plans, market analyses, technology plans, and strategy for clients which included Mead, Kraft, Georgia-Pacific, Avenor (Canada), A.O.Smith, and Covisint.  All of these kinds are work are, in fact, nothing more than applied micro-economic analyses.

From 1996-2000, Planning Solutions was involved in attempting to start and develop an Internet-based industrial  marketplace startup.   We ultimately didn’t succeed, but we did develop some new, innovative technology, including a U.S. Patent.  It may not have succeeded as a business, but I learned a lot about investment banking, venture capital, and technology in the process.

My Personal Life & Interests

I live with my wife in Dearborn, Michigan.   (it makes for a long commute to Lansing, but thankfully, I only
need to do it 3 times per week, thanks to online classes!).  My son attends the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario, Canada.  I have a pretty good sense of humor, although it tends toward the bizarre, absurd, and satiric.

Between teaching and research, there’s not much time for recreation and hobbies, but I do the best I can.  The types of things that I’m interested in include

• Open-source & free software
  (Linux, Firefox, OpenOffice, etc) – I’m a bit of evangelist for free software!  I’m even thinking of starting an open-source software project of my own targeting productivity software for professors (there
  isn’t any right now).
• New technologies for Teaching and the Web.
• Computers – amateur geek that likes to build his own machines (my house has seven machines all connected in a LAN)
• Cleveland Browns football – I grew up in Ohio in 60′s!
• Detroit Red Wings, Tigers, and Pistons – hey, I’ve lived in Detroit since 1985!
• Economic history – oh heck, history of just about any type!
• Music - mostly rock stuff from 60′s, 70′s, and 80′s.  But I like some newer stuff, too.  A few rap/hip-hop artists and some country, appeal too.  IMHO, The Who, Dire Straits, and Pink Floyd are the greatest
  bands ever.  (I know, that makes me ancient to most of you!)   I don’t really buy much new music because I can’t stand the price-fixing of the Hollywood studios cartel.  MP3 & Ogg are important formats for me.
• Auto Racing - I dabbled a bit in some road-racing when I was much, much younger (and in much better shape!).  I loved every second of it, but alas race cars run on cubic dollars and I ran out.
• Natural health remedies such as vitamins & supplements
• Walking  and Bicycling and Rowing - Recently developed interest, largely as a result of needing to get back in shape.