Krishnan Ramaya
Assistant Professor Department of Business
kramaya@pacificu.edu

 

“I think of the classroom as an extension of home,” says Dr. Krishnan Ramaya, chair of the business department. “Home is a place that is nurturing; it’s a place where you look forward to going.” An advocate of interactive education, Ramaya believes a smaller class size provides a better platform for didactic learning, where students are challenged and where questions and open discussions are the norm. “Pacific,” he says, “provides a degree of comfort, a sense of belonging that students at larger universities might not receive.”

Born in Malaysia, Ramaya moved to the United States to study Business at the University of Kansas, where he received his under graduate and graduate degrees as well as his PhD.  Ramaya taught in the Midwest for a number of years prior to joining the staff at Pacific University in 2005.

“A prerequisite to effective pedagogy is active engagement in research,” explains Ramaya, “the two should be tightly linked.” Currently, Ramaya’s focus is on dynamics of research and development, as well as health care management, specifically understanding the patient/clinician relationship and its impact on outcomes.

Students have found Ramaya's classes challenging and rewarding because of the onus he puts on them to excel. “The opposite of love isn't hate, it's indifference,” says Ramaya, reflecting the words of nobel laureate, Elie Wiesel. “I think people are crippled by indifference. This is why I encourage all students to speak up in class, to communicate their point of view.” Ramaya also believes in incorporating practical aspects into the classroom, relating everything to the outside world. “I teach the way I always wanted to be taught,” he says.