Peter C. Knight, Ph.D.

Peter C. Knight, Ph.D.

My typical day has a lot of variety; I like to have flexibility with my schedule. I spend time with PAMA and the sales competitions as well as mixing in committee work internally and externally. I also try to think of new creative ways to engage my students.

How I fell into teaching actually was mainly by accident. I first was involved with corporate sales and marketing which I did for 13 years. I then decided to run my own business which I did for seven years.  I started a 3rd career in academia through teaching Marketing and eCommerce part-time. I realized I enjoyed teaching and decided to sell my share in the business to partners and start my Ph.D. at age 47 so that I could pursue a full time career in teaching. 

I feel I best connect with my students through being involved in student organizations and getting to know them through social activities.  I also put a lot of real life applications into effect in my classes where I get to connect more with my students through these experiential exercises.

I have several different priorities for the next five years which include: publishing more journals in my field, learn new ways of increasing professional development with students, as well as getting tenure.

I do however have a life outside of teaching. I enjoy cycling in the summertime and cross country skiing in the winter (when we actually have snow), and I also enjoy working out and cooking.  I do like football, and you could say I’m a bigger Packer fan then Bears fan, but I am truly loyal to the Buffalo Bills.  I find China really interesting so if I could pick any part of the world to travel to, China would be my choice.

A really interesting fact about me though, is the fact that I was in a rock band at the age of 15 named “Homogenized Milk,” but my rock career did not end there because in 2006 I won second place in a karaoke competition. Some of my sales students have also seen me do some karaoke at our New York sales competition.