Rodney Ndum

Why FSU?

My primary consideration was a strong academic and research school that would have the resources and scholars to help me be a comprehensive researcher. FSU is a top-tier program. I have an excellent advisor, department chair, and program director in the College of Business. There are also many excellent scholars who I am able to collaborate with. Additionally, it is very close to my family, so I could pursue my academic goals while allowing my children to maintain a good relationship with their grandparents.

Motivation to pursue a graduate degree

Academia has always been important to my family. The biggest resource required to escape poverty is knowledge, and the second is opportunity. A graduate degree provides both knowledge and an increase in opportunity. Personally, I also see myself as a life-long scholar. While I am certain research in finance is my calling and will be my life-long vocation, I am not certain this will be my last graduate degree, as I love to learn.

Importance and/or impact of research and work

My research focuses on corporate fraud and malfeasance. Transparency is very important in creating a better world. My research focuses on discovering how bad actors behave and the consequences of their actions. The ultimate goal is that my research will be used by policy makers to create better policies that continue to move our world toward a better future.

Career aspirations

My primary goal is to become an academic scholar at an R1 institution. I would like to have a good balance between research, teaching and service. After creating a foundation, I would like to increasingly work on impactful research related to corporate fraud and litigation that will hopefully have policy implications. Toward the latter end of my career, I would like to be an advisor to governments and corporations.

Advice for anyone considering graduate school

You have to be very passionate about an area of research to be successful and happy in a graduate program. However, you must also be open to feedback; as a student your job is to learn the tools of the trade, but being passionate about a topic might make you overly defensive. As a scholar, all important work you do will be peer reviewed, and feedback is an important part of being successful during a peer-review cycle.

Accomplishments during graduate career

I served as VP of PhD Project's Finance and Economics Doctoral Student Association for 2022. This role required administrative efforts related to seminars and working with the president and faculty liaison to create an agenda for the annual meeting.