Many folks might not believe that a simple senior thesis paper could one day be the seed that sprouts a career. But for Greensboro College Professor of Marketing Cindy Hanson, it’s true: as a senior at UNC-Chapel Hill, her thesis paper on marketing and, more specifically, the marketing mix, laid the foundation for her career. “I didn’t really know all that much about marketing until I researched it during my senior year as an undergrad,” Dr. Hanson admits. “I think writing that paper is ultimately responsible for stimulating my interest in marketing.”    

Dr. Hanson’s career as a business student continued after her years at UNC-Chapel Hill. After graduating, she earned her M.B.A. at Duke University before working for the loan firm Sallie Mae. After serving for a few years there as a compliance analyst, she knew her heart was in the classroom. “It was a great experience,” she says, “but I learned that the corporate world was not for me.”

Dr. Hanson then went on to earn her Ph.D. in marketing from the University of Maryland. Even after attending three sizable schools, it is obvious that Dr. Hanson feels right at home in the small, close-knit environment at Greensboro College. “I love teaching at Greensboro College,” she readily shares. “One of my favorite parts about being a professor here is that I really get to know my students and, quite often, I have them in more than one class.”

One of the things Dr. Hanson enjoys about being a professor is the chance to teach a variety of courses. Among the classes she teaches are consumer behavior, marketing, women in advertising, retailing and a senior business seminar. She says she does not have a favorite class to teach because she has good feelings toward all of them.

A professor at Greensboro College for 11 years, she has witnessed many changes on campus. Dr. Hanson lists the renovations to the Odell and Proctor Hall buildings as a few of the most notable improvements. She also says that she enjoys seeing an increase in the use of technology in the classrooms: “It’s amazing to think about all the wonderful changes and improvements to campus. It’s hard to believe how many great things happened in such a short amount of time,” she says.

Dr. Hanson lives in Greensboro with her husband and son. As trends in marketing continue to evolve, she keeps an interested eye turned toward the advertising world by studying and analyzing advertising. She maintains high expectations for both the college and her students, and she says that in addition to the College’s accreditation, she also would like to see the business department accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

One cannot help but wonder whom this student of the ACC cheers for.  “I think people tend to stay loyal to their undergraduate school,” she laughs, and then quickly adds, “but I’m a big fan of the ACC.”