New York Yankees Star Honors One of His UIC Professors

Release courtesy of the UIC News Bureau

New York Yankees center fielder Curtis Granderson has singled out a University of Illinois at Chicago professor as a teacher who had a big impact on his life.

Granderson honored David Koehler, clinical assistant professor of managerial studies in the UIC College of Business Administration, for his passion to help students achieve beyond expectations.

"I can honestly say I was floored," Koehler said. "I felt of all the recognition I may have received through teaching at UIC, this was by far the biggest honor."

Koehler is one of a handful of teachers being recognized nationally in "Behind Every Famous Person is a Fabulous Teacher," a social marketing campaign run by TeachersCount, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to raise the status of the teaching profession.

The campaign pairs celebrities with teachers who had a positive influence on their lives. Granderson, who graduated from UIC with a degree in business administration, attended several classes taught by Koehler.

Each teacher selected for the "Fabulous Teacher" campaign is featured in a print ad. TeachersCount, with help from Scholastic, distributes the ads as free posters to teachers across the country.

Each ad features a celebrity's photo with a short paragraph describing the influence the teacher had. Ads also appear in select national publications. To date, 1.6 million posters have been distributed.

Koehler is noted for his high energy and skill in delivering marketing topics to undergraduate and graduate students. In the past several years, his students have created award-winning marketing and advertising campaigns for national clients.

Current "Fabulous Teacher" celebrities include: soccer player Landon Donovan, country music artist Miranda Lambert, restaurateur and TV personality Guy Fieri, and TV host and author Martha Stewart.

Previous participants include musical artists Carrie Underwood and Chris "Ludacris" Bridges and actors Jeremy Piven, America Ferrera and Vanessa Williams.

Koehler serves as the Faculty Athletics Representative for UIC.