In this Impact Magazine Q&A, find out why Sieders chose Tech—twice—and why her students have a quacking good time while preparing for in-demand careers in the rigorous but rewarding profession that she knows so well.
"One of the best professors I have ever had at Tech."
"I always look forward to going to Laura's class."
"Laura makes every lecture go by in the blink of an eye by making class time fun and engaging for everyone involved. She is helpful, understanding, caring, compassionate, and values our learning above and beyond."
In their own words, Michigan Tech College of Business students shared why they chose Laura Sieders, assistant teaching professor and the Edward and Betty Robinson Faculty Fellow in Accounting, as their 2025 Teacher of the Year.
In her own words, Sieders, who also directs Tech's MS in Accounting and Analytics program, shares the experiences that led her from the College of Business's Class of 1990 to its Teacher of the Year.
Q: Why did you choose Tech as a student?
LS: As a native of Calumet, Tech was a local university and the logical first choice for my post-secondary education. While applying to Tech was expedient, the Tech curriculum had unexpected benefits. It had to have been a requirement, not an elective, to take courses in programming languages. I took courses in FORTRAN and Pascal. I also worked in Academic Computing Services, which was located in the basement of the EERC (Electrical Energy Resources Center). This grounding in technology is what differentiated me as an accounting major and is what won me my first job after graduation (in Washington, DC).
Q: How did you decide to major in accounting?
LS: Accounting was an excellent alignment of my skill set and career goals. It was the pathway I decided to take to achieve the goals I set for myself.
Q: Why did you return as faculty?
LS: I left my career in corporate accounting in the DC metro area following the tragic death of my daughter. I moved back home to Calumet and, after giving myself some time to heal, I felt it was time to gently re-enter the workforce.
I reached out to the dean of the International School of Business at Finlandia University. I was more thinking along the lines of tutoring but to my delight and surprise, the dean approached me about an adjunct teaching position. Taking up that offer ended up being one of the best decisions I ever made; I absolutely loved being in the classroom and helping to bring up the next generation of accountants.
Right about the same time that Finlandia University announced its closure, an accounting faculty position opened up at Tech. I was incredibly excited by the opportunity to continue working with students at my alma mater. Now, not only am I giving back to the profession, I'm also giving back to the school that launched my career and was foundational to my professional success in the field.
Q: One of the things students most appreciate about your teaching style is your philosophy related to mistakes. Please tell us about that.
LS: "We are here to make mistakes!" All of my students hear this from me on day one in the classroom and I constantly reinforce this throughout each semester.
I'm not perfect either, which gave rise to an extra credit opportunity I offer in all of my classes: Laura's Whiteboard Mistakes. If students catch me in an error, I want them to find it and call it out. This has had the benefit of increased attention, and also demonstrates that it's okay for students to make mistakes since I also make them. The important thing is to catch them, fix them, and learn from them.
Q: Your students mentioned a "quacking good time" as one of the reasons they nominated you for the award. What's that about?
LS: This started with my intermediate students this year and they really took to it like a duck to water! While trying to cement that we examine transactions and evidence and critically think about how that fits into the accounting framework, I said, "If it has a white tail and an orange beak and it's waddling and quacking, it's a duck." After a few times of saying that, it took on a life of its own. It's now a running joke that has made class sessions a lot of fun for both the students and for me—it's a quacking good time in an accounting class!
Q: What kind of research are you interested in?
LS: As a teaching professor, my focus is on providing excellent coursework and service; I do not have a research component to my required duties. However, I am personally deeply interested in the history of accounting; how it developed through the replacement of Roman numerals with Arabic numerals, and the establishment of double-entry bookkeeping in the 1400s. At the same time this method was being codified by Luca Pacioli in Venice, on the other side of the world, the Inca Empire had developed the nonwritten record-keeping system of the khipu. The need for an accurate accounting information system has always been global—I find this fascinating.
Q: What do you most enjoy about College of Business students?
LS: College of Business students are thirsty for knowledge and driven to succeed. It's a joy to work with individuals who want to dig into the material and really understand. Every semester I'm so grateful that I get to know all of these wonderful people and see them growing into their tremendous potential.
Q: How does it feel to be honored as Teacher of the Year?
LS: Everything about teaching, for me, is about the student. When I started this journey in academia almost 10 years ago, I remember saying at the time that if there is only one student who looks back on their education and says, "Laura made a positive impact on my life," then I will have succeeded. Being honored by the College of Business students is a success beyond my wildest dreams; I cannot fathom a higher honor.
Michigan Technological University is an R1 public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, and is home to nearly 7,500 students from more than 60 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan's flagship technological university offers more than 185 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
