Interviews by Shayla Jenkins

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“I had him for Microeconomics and Money and Banking. Dr. Eschenfelder cared more about what he was teaching than any other professor I have had. He also cared a lot about his students, but in a different way than most professors. He showed how much he cared by demanding the most out of them. He expected them to learn the material and actually understand the subject. His teaching method absolutely stuck with me. His ability to control the attention of a classroom was incredible. He kept students engaged in his lecture and made sure that they were understanding his lessons throughout the class. I would like to say that I wish that there were more professors like Dr. Eschenfelder. It would be great if teachers cared as much as he did about his students and what he was teaching. Also his legacy will live on through his students for many years to come.”  -Dave Szymanski (Senior Economics Major)

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“I thought ME was extremely enthusiastic and passionate about the subject he taught which isn’t always the case with college professors, as a person even though he wasn’t the most outgoing he knew who you were if you made the effort to get to know him and participate with him in the subject he loved. ME teachings certainly did stick with me, even now in my 4th year of economic education I can hear him yelling about a change in price not shifting the demand curve and that substitutes made demand more elastic. Perhaps his greatest contribution however was that he taught me how to write in an economic way. He was not the type to be impressed by colorful language and rambling on. He demanded an understanding of the topic at hand and could see through any misunderstanding, this was rigorous and I am undoubtedly better for it. As far as kind words I would like to start by saying that I was shocked when I heard the news, within the first hour that his passing was announced my phone was barraged with people letting me know which shows the impact he had on our student body. The knowledge he shared with those he taught the standard of excellence he boasted for the school of economics cannot be overstated but perhaps my favorite part of his legacy was the community he created. Not only did you know the individuals you had his class with but you now had something in common with them. Tales about ME and his lectures were common conversation topics in all matter of social settings. “Remember that time he threw the dry erase marker” “That lecture on the demand for Chinese immigrants was unreal” “that kid in the back of the class who fell asleep never stood a chance”. Never was it with disrespect but with deep admiration that these stories were shared. His lectures never ended when the allotted class time did. Never have I had a class in which I talked about and compared notes of the lecture with other student before I even got back to my dorm. He will surely be missed and I thank him for his contribution to my education and college experience as a whole.”  -Mike Pasek (Senior Economics Major)

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“Dr. Eschenfelder was great at relating what he was teaching to the real world. He made sure students were engaged in his class by asking questions and calling on his students to answer them. His passionate teaching style made it easy for his students to care about and listen to what he had to say. I think the big thing that stuck out to me about Dr. Eschenfelder is that he truly cared about his students. If his students performed poorly on an exam, he would tell the class that part of blame was on him because it was his job to make sure we were learning. I’ve never had another professor do that.”  -Alex Schreckengost (Senior Actuarial Science Major)

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“Dr Eschenfelder was the best professor I had at RMU. He truly cared about expanding his students’ knowledge and believed anyone was capable of learning. Because of his deep passion, he made it much easier to learn.”  -Brett Pompeani (RMU Alum, Finance Major)