Professor Robert Turner Receives Babson’s Most Prestigious Award

The Walter H. Carpenter Prize   

Babson College has named Robert Turner as the winner of the 2009 Walter H. Carpenter Prize for Exceptional Contributions to Babson College. A faculty member for almost 19 years, Professor Turner has served in many leadership positions including his current role as director of the One-Year MBA Program and acting faculty director of the Evening MBA Program.

Since 1982, the Carpenter Prize has been awarded annually to a member of the faculty, administration or staff who has demonstrated a commitment to high standards in their professional and personal life; outstanding service to the College over a period of  years; and sensitivity and concern for students and colleagues.

Babson’s most prestigious honor, the Carpenter Prize is the highest form of recognition an employee can receive. The award was named for former professor and administrator Walter Carpenter who was committed to high standards in his professional and personal life.

Turner’s contributions to the undergraduate program are legendary. He was named Professor of the Year in both 1993 and 1994 by Babson undergraduates. Many students have benefited from his work as Director of the Honors program for the past eight years. He also created and developed the London summer program, which offers honors students a 5-week internship and a full credit course at the London School of Economics.

Despite a demanding workload, Turner keeps his relationships with colleagues as special as his relationships with students. “At every meeting of ugrad alums, the first question asked is about him,” said a Carpenter Prize nominator. “Bob brings the same compassion, collegiality, support, and friendship he shows his students to each and every colleague.” Another added, “If I have an ethical concern, he is among the first colleagues I seek advice from.”

“His generosity to students and alumni is unparalleled, and he expects nothing in return,” said an alumnus, of his former professor. “He reaches out to students well after graduation… The only thing he does ask is that alumni give back to the college so other students can benefit from the same great experience. Professor Turner has played a vital role in making Babson the special place it is today.”

Outside the classroom, Turner embraces openness and diversity. A student active in the OPEN for Business Club, the on-campus LGBT student group, said, “He is one of their straight allies and routinely comes to the club’s pub nights, meetings, and other events. His involvement with OPEN sets the example of Babson as a welcoming environment.”

“Bob is one of the great ‘glue people’ of Babson,” said a Carpenter Prize nominator. “He holds important things together in an often invisible way. He considers all elements of successful programs, from attracting potential students, what happens in the classroom and how we treat students outside the classroom, to helping them find jobs and keeping them connected as alumni.”

Turner joined the Babson faculty in 1990. Previously, he taught business courses at Boston College, Boston University, and LeMoyne College. His teaching interests are in the area of corporate and not-for-profit financial reporting. He has taught financial accounting at the undergraduate and graduate levels and in the Intermediate Management Core. He has published numerous articles on financial reporting, primarily in the area of reporting by not-for-profit organizations, and on teaching accounting.

Prior to entering the teaching profession, Turner worked at Pricewaterhouse, LeMoyne College as Director for Financial Aid, and Boston College as Associate Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid. He was named Outstanding Educator of the Year in 1995 by the Massachusetts Society of CPA's and was a recent recipient of the Distinguished Alumnus Award from LeMoyne College. He is a member of the American Accounting Association and the Financial Executives Institute.