Dr. Alberto Rubio-Sanchez

Associate Professor of Marketing

University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX

Dr. Alberto Rubio-Sanchez began his teaching career at Monterrey Tech in Guadalajara Mexico in 1999. As a Fulbright Scholar, he completed his studies at Purdue University where he first became a teaching assistant and then went on to be an instructor. He received the Purdue University Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Teaching while serving as an instructor. After the successful completion of his studies, Dr. Rubio-Sanchez secured a position as an Assistant Professor of Marketing with the Gabelli School of Business at Roger Williams University in Rhode Island where he received superb evaluations for his teaching performance.

Dr. Rubio-Sanchez was compelled by an offer to teach at the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), so he made the move to San Antonio, Texas in 2009. The position was particularly attractive given the fact that UIW graduates more Hispanic students than any other private university in the United States, a setting that would grant him a unique opportunity to serve an underrepresented population. In addition to his responsibilities as an Associate Professor of Marketing at UIW, Dr. Rubio-Sanchez has served as the Hispanic Marketing Institute Director and Marketing Department Coordinator. His time at UIW has been marked by excellence through the attainment of exceptional teaching evaluations and three distinct nominations for the Presidential Teaching Award, the highest honor that can be conferred to a faculty member at the university.

Why did you choose to become a professor?

My passion for teaching and success as a professor is attributable to a single event that stemmed from a presentation I gave in the fourth grade regarding amphibians. I was enamored by the idea of providing my friends with useful information. Fast forward several years to my time in college where I endured a distasteful experience with a professor. I was enrolled in a calculus class with a disengaged, lackluster professor who clearly did not have the students’ best interest at heart. The feeling was almost devastating, and it struck a chord deep inside of me. I felt cheated. After a particularly disastrous class session, I felt compelled to engage the Department Chair in a conversation regarding the ways through which I could become a professor, one who would always place the student at the heart of all focus. That day marked the beginning of my pursuit of teaching because it ignited my desire to make a meaningful impact in the lives of my students.

What resources (programs, tools, etc.) were available to you throughout your journey into teaching?

My journey into teaching and serving others as a professor began while I was attending college in Mexico. The institution had a well-established program called Future Professors that enabled me to leverage the myriad of opportunities made available through the program. It provided me with access to several resources, including graduate tuition assistance, conferences, and workshops that better prepared me for a career in academia. Purdue University had a similar program that I was able to participate in while working on my Ph. D. The most influential take away from this program was the manner through which it helped me better understand the opportunities and challenges associated with teaching diverse groups of students.

What do you love about teaching?

I love being an influential facet of another person’s learning experience. My favorite moment is the point of “enlightenment,” which is when a student is able to grasp and comprehend a new concept for the very first time. I am compelled by the sense of excitement and gratitude experienced by the student after reaching this point. It is the moment I cherish most because of the overwhelming sense of connectedness I feel, one that is quite inexplicable, yet amazing, because it is indicative of growth. That student just became a better person, and I take great pride in knowing that I have the ability to make a difference in the lives of my students.

When you were a student, was there a great teacher who inspired you?

There have been many teachers and several moments that have both defined my experiences in life and helped shape me as a person, which has allowed me to achieve my goals. However, there is one particular moment and one highly regarded teacher who changed my future outlook. This individual was my first Marketing professor in college. He was an adjunct professor who had a huge heart for teaching. He held down a full-time job as the Vice President of Marketing for one of the largest candy corporations in the country while teaching class three times a week at 7:00 AM. His classes not only developed my mindset as a marketer but also provided me with the foundational tenets upon which I desired to establish my career as a professor.