Bob Dammon, Dean, Tepper School of Business
Robert M. Dammon is the ninth dean of the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University, a post that he assumed in May 2011. A researcher and professor of financial economics, he joined the faculty in 1984 and was appointed to serve as the school's associate dean for education from 2008 to 2011. Dammon's most recent research focuses on lifetime savings, investing and asset allocation, and his work has been published in the most prestigious finance and economic journals, including the American Economic Review, the Review of Financial Studies and the Journal of Finance. Among the awards he has received for his scholarship is the 2004 TIAA-CREF Paul A. Samuelson Award for Outstanding Scholarly Writing on Lifelong Financial Security. He is also a three-time recipient of the George Leland Bach Teaching Award for Excellence in the Classroom.
What books are currently on your nightstand?
"The Last Days of Night," Graham Moore
What's the last great book you read?
There are lots of very good books that I've read, but "great books" are far and few between. The two books I really enjoyed reading recently are "Devil in the White City," Erik Larson, and "River of Doubt," Candice Millard
What's your favorite book no one else has heard of?
Not sure that this is as obscure as you're looking for, but a book I very much enjoyed reading that may not be on everyone's radar screen is "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown.
Which genres do you especially enjoy reading? And which do you avoid?
I read mostly nonfiction, although I also enjoy good historical fiction. I don't like to read sci-fi novels. Most of them are too unrealistic for my tastes (and imagination).
What are the best books related to your topic of study?
Some of the general-interest books that I've enjoyed the most in my area of study (economics and finance) are:
- "Freakonomics," Stephen Levitt and Stephen Dubner
- "Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt," Michael Lewis
- "The Big Short," Michael Lewis
- "Thinking, Fast and Slow," Daniel Kahneman
- "Bonfire of the Vanities," Thomas Wolfe
Highly recommended books on basic economics, finance and investing are:
- "Basic Economics," Thomas Sowell
- "Capitalism and Freedom," Milton Friedman
- "The Intelligent Investor," Benjamin Graham
- "A Random Walk Down Wall Street," Burton Malkiel
- "Little Book of Common Sense Investing," John Bogle
How do you like to read? Paper of electronic? One book at a time or simultaneously? Morning or night?
I enjoy reading both paper and electronic books and will often alternate between the two formats. I have a difficult time reading multiple books at the same time, so you will typically find only one or two books on my end table at the same time. I enjoy reading a good book on the weekends, especially when the weather outside is inhospitable. There's nothing like a good thunderstorm to get me in the mood for reading. I also get a lot of reading done while traveling, which for a dean is quite frequent.
How do you organize your books?
No order at all. Just piled on the bookshelves randomly.
What book might people be surprised to find on your shelves?
"Python for Kids," Jason Briggs
What's the best book you ever received as a gift?
"The Silo Effect," Gillian Tett
What do you plan to read next?
"Beneath a Scarlet Sky," Mark Sullivan
