University of Louisville economics professor retires after nearly 6 decades

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A University of Louisville professor lectured on campus for the final time Tuesday after teaching for nearly 60 years.

Dr. John Nelson is the longest-tenured professor at the university's College of Business. Nelson has been an economics professor for the past 57-and-a-half years at the University of Louisville.

"It's been fantastic, it's a dream come true," Nelson said. "In college I just thought if I ever become a professor, what a dream job that would be. Of course, I was very fortunate to get a job straight out of college here at the University of Louisville, which was my dream job. I had other offers. This was the one we had to take because it was such an opportunity."

IMAGES | University of Louisville professor retires after almost 6 decades

The 82-year-old is retiring at the end of the fall semester. On Tuesday, he lectured in-person for the final time on international trade. He opted to use a white board for demonstrations instead of the more modern PowerPoint presentation.

"I've known Dr. Nelson for many years, I've learned a lot from him," Dr. Jeff Guan, UofL College of Business Interim Dean, said to the class. "International trade, today's topic is particularly important because Louisville is slowly but surely becoming an international city."

When Nelson arrived at the University of Louisville in 1967, he said the College of Business had just 15 professors and staff. That number has grown to around 150, according to Nelson.

Nelson also served in a variety of roles in the city and state government as a financial consultant and economics advisor. He was a financial consultant to Louisville Board of Aldermen and Metro Council for decades, worked for the Kentucky Legislative Research Commission, spent two years in Gov. John Y. Brown's office, and the Kentucky Education Cabinet, among other roles.

"It was so much fun, I didn't have any pressure in working for government because I wasn't looking for a job, I wasn't worried about the next job," Nelson said. "The 40 years were a year-by-year basis."

Nelson said his favorite part of being a professor was the students. Nelson estimated that he has taught more than 20,000 students.

"What a great great career, what a great number of students, I've never had a problem with any student in 57-and-a-half years," Nelson said. "It's just been my job to get to know the students, get to know their faces. And remember some of them very vividly."

University of Louisville's College of Business currently has 1,858 students enrolled. It ranks No. 87 in U.S. News and World Report Best Overall Business School in the Nation ranking.

Related Stories: