One of the most important jobs in higher education is often described as one of the most challenging—vice dean of faculty. Meet Mor Armony, professor of operations and Vice Dean for Faculty and Research for the last seven years. As Stern celebrates its 125th anniversary, Vice Dean Armony celebrates her 25th. At this double milestone, Beth Murray, Stern’s Chief Marketing Officer, sits down with Mor to reflect on how the faculty’s world renowned reputation paves the way for Stern’s next generation of academics to enter the world stage.

Professor Armony at Faculty Research Celebrations

Q&A with Vice Dean Mor Armony

Beth: Here we are—it’s 2025—and Stern faculty research ranks #4 in the world, Stern is in the news 86 times a day, and acceptance rates in our flagship programs have never been more competitive. In short, our faculty are remarkable on many fronts. To what do you attribute this success?

Mor: I think we should begin by looking back. Faculty are the engine of an academic institution, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the stellar faculty who, well before our time, began building an essential foundation within the Stern School. They were research-driven, intellectually curious, and passionate about teaching. It was their excellence that attracted further excellence, and the virtuous cycle continues. As a result, today we have a bench of stars on our faculty furthering our academic strength and strong culture.

We could perhaps call faculty from the past the “founders” of our culture today. In my 25 years here, I’ve seen first hand how this cycle continues.  

Beth: You mentioned rising stars. What kind of work are they doing?

Mor: They don’t reside in any one department, but rather, they are across disciplines.  We have faculty showing up on the who’s who list of Poets&Quants list of the top 40 under 40 faculty at business schools, winning the ‘Oscars’ of finance awards with the Fischer Black Prize by the American Finance Association, making it onto Barack Obama’s recommended booklist, and driving media headlines. From top downloads of academic papers to speaking engagements in Davos at the World Economic Forum and SXSW, Stern faculty are driving some of the most relevant conversations of our time.

Beth: Earlier you mentioned “culture.” How would you describe the Stern faculty culture?

Mor: A can-do culture. Entrepreneurial. Resilient. And perhaps most important, it’s a family culture. And it’s not just me saying that. The word is out, I hear these themes repeatedly from the PhD recruits hoping to join the faculty at Stern.

Beth: I have to interrupt to say that there are many faculty and administrators who would say it is you who have created a family culture. One of my favorite moments in the spring faculty meeting is when you introduce the new babies in the academic departments. We use the term IQ+EQ to describe our community, and I can't think of anyone who epitomizes it more than you. You teach stochastic service models and offer a hug to anyone who looks like they need it. How do you integrate “rigor+heart” day to day?

Mor: It’s easy. It all comes down to one thing–the people here at Stern. And that starts first and foremost with our amazing students and all of the energy and ideas they bring to the Stern community. Of course I love both my research and my colleagues. In fact, my favorite part of the vice dean role is getting to know the faculty as human beings; talking with them, learning about what motivates them, and yes showing pictures of the new babies born to faculty each spring. I have the privilege of writing the offer letters for all new faculty hires, and the first sentence in response to every acceptance is ‘welcome to the Stern family’.

Beth: As you look back over the last few decades, what stands out as examples that speak to the type of faculty we have here at Stern?

Mor: I mentioned earlier that there is a ‘can-do’ spirit. I saw that when the financial crisis hit in 2008 and how our faculty rallied with more than 30 professors from across departments coming together to understand what happened, why, and how to restore financial stability. It was unprecedented to witness a collaborative effort of this scale and speed. Forward to March 2020, when every single faculty member who was teaching showed up to learn how to keep our academic mission alive during the pandemic by pivoting to teaching online. And even though social distancing was a rule back then, the finance faculty would all get together to eat lunch outside. Those are just a few examples, but overall the collaborative ‘can-do’ culture is always present.

Beth: What are your hopes for Stern faculty over the next 25 years?

Mor: I imagine that the virtuous circle will continue and our faculty will produce award-winning research, contribute to global conversations, and of course, share their new baby photos at faculty dinners. It’s been an honor to have held this position and been able to get to know all the faculty. As you said, it’s one of the hardest jobs in academia, but it is also rewarding on many levels.

So as we mark this milestone and look to the future, Mor makes clear that it is the faculty who have played a starring role in driving Stern’s global reputation as one of the world’s best business schools. And it is this reputation that attracts the next generation of superstars who are continuing the tradition of making an impact on the world stage.

Every year, Poets&Quants publishes its who’s who list of the top faculty at business schools. NYU Stern faculty have earned a coveted spot for many years.

Faculty Stars: Poets&Quants 40 Under 40

2024: Jennifer Wynn; Zhengyuan Zhou
2023: Sabrina Howell
2022: Matthew Lee*, Mike North, Johannes Stroebel
2021: Xi Chen, Michael Dickstein
2020: Maher Said
2018: Srikanth Jagabathula 
2017: Lisa Leslie, Ilan Lobel, Nathan Pettit
2016: Mary Billings
2015: Adam Alter, Deepak Hegde
2014: Anindya Ghose
2011: J.P. Eggers, Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh*

Poets&Quants: Best Undergraduate Business School Professors

2024: João Sedoc
2023: Tensie Whelan, Sonia Marciano 
2022: Ashish Bhatia
2021: Matt Statler, Manuel Arriaga*
2020: Aleksander Aleszczyk, Andrea Bonezzi, Alix Barasch*, Mike North, Taylor Phillips
2018: Amal Shehata 
2017: Simon Bowmaker

* Faculty are no longer at Stern