What inspired CEO and founder of Mazama Capital Management Ron Sauer to travel from his company's Portland headquarters to Eugene to teach the five session portfolio management analysis course this winter term? The students. "They're like wet sponges," said Sauer. "They're very knowledgeable and very passionate about what we're talking about." For his students, the excitement is all about seeing the concepts they've learned at school used in the real world by an expert practitioner. "It's a different experience from a classroom, that's for sure," said undergraduate Ari Siegel, who is also a member of the UO Investment Group. Though learning from working professionals has long been a core part of school's mission, expect to see even more of it as Dean de Kluyver rolls out his plan for "professors of practice"--a new category of faculty composed of professionals with extensive industry experience. Watch the video.