By: Zackary Kephart
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The fall semester begins with unfortunate news. On July 4, Bohdan Pikas, professor of marketing at Niagara University, passed away.
On the first day of any class he taught, Pikas would ask students, “did you all receive the syllabus I emailed you?” After the students replied “yes,” Pikas would just say “alright, then I’ll see you next time.” The first class that was supposed to last one hour and 20 minutes lasted five minutes instead.
Direct – that’s just one word to describe Pikas. He carried around a reputation for that, and either students loved him for it or … didn’t quite like it as much. He knew that too, as he always mocked his page on the website Rate My Professor with laughter.
He was honest, not in any malicious way but to show students how the “real world” would handle their work. No student could learn more about presentations than in his International Marketing class. Even if students still disliked the presentations, Pikas at least taught everyone how to handle real-world scenarios. Students were usually expected to present material for at least 50 minutes with no notecards, and if they messed up with any “ums,” “uhs” or other forms of fidgeting he would stop the presentation and let them know. Some may have called that tough, but students knew it was a learning experience. He cared for his students in his own unique way.
Above all, nobody could doubt Pikas’ work ethic. He always pushed ahead and remained dedicated to his work without letting anything get in his way. No wonder he was with Niagara University for 50 years.
Niagara Wire 