Whitman’s Kivanc A. Avrenli Named One of 50 Best Undergraduate Professors Worldwide by Poets&Quants 2025
Kivanc Avrenli, professor of practice in finance at Syracuse University’s Martin J. Whitman School of Management has been named one of Poets&Quants' 50 Best Undergraduate Business Professors of 2025, a distinction recognizing exceptional teaching, mentorship and impact on students.
The honor is based on Poets&Quants’ comprehensive evaluation of nominations from schools worldwide. Professors are scored on both research (30%) and teaching (70%), with reviewers considering scholarly influence, media visibility, teaching awards, innovations in the classroom, and the depth of student impact.
A Transformative Teacher
Professor Avrenli was nominated by David Weinbaum, department of finance chair at Whitman, who highlighted the extraordinary reach and quality of Avrenli’s teaching. “Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2025, Dr. Avrenli has taught 65 in-person, 3-credit courses, reaching approximately 2,700 students,” Weinbaum wrote. “He consistently earns near-perfect ratings from students, and he is the highest-rated professor at Syracuse University on Rate My Professor.”
Poets&Quants noted this quote from a student evaluation, “Dr. Avrenli is hands-down the best professor I’ve had. He walks into class with a contagious smile, turns stats into something you actually look forward to, and makes you feel like you can tackle anything. He’s the gold standard for what a professor should be—clear, hilarious, and always in your corner.”
When asked what sets him apart as an educator, Avrenli joked: “My energy level, which is the human equivalent of a quad-shot espresso, and the lively animated visuals I deploy to demystify complex concepts
A Record of Excellence
At Whitman, Avrenli teaches managerial statistics and specializes in applied statistical methods, probability theory, statistical modeling, and experimental design. He received the Faculty of the Year Award in both 2021 and 2022, was named Undergraduate Faculty of the Year in 2020, and has been selected six times as Best Faculty and Class Marshal by U.S. Army students in Syracuse’s Defense Comptrollership Program. He has received the university-wide Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Teaching Recognition Award, the Whitman School Teaching Fellow Award, and a Faculty Recognition Award from the Office of Disability Services.
Before joining Whitman, he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he was named to the List of Teachers Ranked as Excellent by Their Students seven consecutive times and received the Alumni Award in Teaching Excellence.
Academic and Industry Impact
Avrenli holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Bogaziçi University in Istanbul—formerly Robert College, the first American college established outside the United States. He later completed a second M.S. in statistics and a Ph.D. in civil engineering with a specialization in commercial aviation safety at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. His expertise in commercial aviation safety and statistical modeling has made him a frequent media commentator in outlets including Newsweek, Law360, and The Washington Post.
Well-Deserved Global Recognition
Poets&Quants received more than 1,200 nominations representing nearly 200 individual professors from more than 60 of the best undergraduate business programs worldwide. The recognition spotlights educators who shape the next generation of business leaders through extraordinary dedication and impact.
When asked what he is most grateful for, Avrenli says “…my students, my colleagues, and any student who watches my lecture and homework solution videos before asking me the question the video already answers. Also: the cloudy, cold, and snowy Syracuse winters.”
To read Professor Avrenli’s full profile and interview, visit Poets&Quants.