Kelly Eskew, Clinical Professor of Business Law & Ethics and the Director of Education for the Kelley Institute for Environmental and Social Sustainability, shares her experience teaching in the Kelley Direct Online MBA program.
Describe your background and career experience.
I’m originally from Indianapolis, though I spent about 10 years in Seattle and then Albuquerque. I came back for law school, which I started in my early 30s. I have an undergraduate degree in philosophy, my law degree, and then I went back to school again and did a masters in US history 12 years ago.
Kelly Eskew’s basset hounds, Posy (front) and Poppy
I spent the first 10 years of my law career as a litigator and appellate attorney in private practice. I represented the doctors who invented Gatorade and the Indiana Horse Racing Commission, among others, and have a number of published decisions. I then went in-house with IU Health, managing litigation for 11 of its then-22 hospitals, including the Riley Hospital for Children. I had the privilege of doing civil rights law with the ACLU of Indiana as a capstone on active practice. During the last five years of my lawyering life, I was also teaching as an adjunct at the IU McKinney School of Law and at Butler University in the business school. I joined the Kelley faculty full-time in 2015.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your job?
I love being in the classroom, including our Kelley Direct virtual classrooms. The interaction I have with students is energizing and challenging. I am always pushed to articulate my own knowledge and understanding from multiple perspectives (thinking like a lawyer!) and I learn from my students, as well.
What can students expect from your Kelley Direct courses?
I’m implementing some revisions to my courses this semester, trying to connect students with both the foundational knowledge they need on our topics as well as more opportunities to consider “real world” examples—so they can see the law in action.
What are some of the things that set Kelley apart?
Kelley Direct has excellent teachers—all full-time faculty who teach in Kelley’s in-residence programs—involved in every aspect of the program. I am incredibly grateful to count myself among such talented colleagues.
What do you tell your students on how best to manage their time to be successful?
I don’t, other than to say that I trust my students to prioritize what is important. I only ask that they communicate with me so that I can work with them when they have a challenging work project or deadline or, obviously, a family matter that requires their focus. I worked full-time through three degrees. I get it.
How do you keep students engaged in an online classroom?
I hope I do this by bringing a lot of energy to class, welcoming their questions, and working through multiple examples.
What do you tell your students if/when they ask about accelerating their career?
As a lawyer, I may not be the best source of business career advice. But I do know that the Kelley Direct program accelerates career advancement and opens new pathways. I have seen it over and over in my students’ experiences.
What is something people may not understand about online learning?
With the Kelley Direct program, you are still going to interact with professors, meet many of them in person, develop friendships with your classmates, and spend time with them. It is not a “remote” experience. There are many points of engagement within each class and each year of the program.
What is something most people don’t know about you?
I try to read 52 books a year—about two-thirds fiction.
Your book recommendation for MBAs?
I recommend Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson to everyone and use it as a text in my undergraduate climate law class. It’s a novel, but it also teaches us about climate change and the journey ahead of us, ending with a note of optimism.