Brett C. Olsen
Professor and Finance Head
CBB 317
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Brett C. Olsen
Professor and Finance Head
Brett Olsen has a doctorate in finance and teaches various courses on the subject, including financial management, International financial management and security analysis. His research interests include corporate governance, valuation, ownership and managerial decisions. He sees himself as a guide for students, encouraging them to push forward toward their goals and beyond.
Hobbies & Interests
Olsen is always looking for new ways to stay busy and enjoys participating in his children’s activities, but he can also be found at home spending time at home with a good book or crossword puzzle.
Ph.D. (Finance) University of Missouri - Columbia; M.B.A. Illinois State University; B.S. (Mechanical Engineering) North Dakota State University
Intermediate Financial Management; International Financial Management
Brett's research interests include a broad range of topics, including security issuance, investment and financing decisions, corporate governance, and restructuring. One of his favorite papers is the application of a baseball statistic (Wins Above Replacement) to the C-suite, where he and his coauthors developed the Alpha Above Replacement stat for CEOs of the firm, trying to determine what characteristics of a company's leader bring added return for shareholders.
Prior to joining UNI in 2010, Brett taught at the University of Idaho and the University of Missouri in Columbia. He has taught at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of financial management and investments. Brett has received several awards while at UNI for his teaching and service, including the Class of 1943 Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching. He has also served on the board of a local credit union and a national seminary higher education commission.
Brett is active in research and has published several referred journal articles, including articles in European Financial Management, Managerial Finance, Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, and Accounting and Finance, among others.