INDIANAPOLIS, IN–Professor Matthew Beathard never squanders an opportunity to teach his students something new. Inspired by fictional predecessors like Dead Poets Society, Coach Carter, and School of Rock, his teaching methods are rumored to get pretty unconventional. Matthew is a visionary who knows no bounds and dismisses social constructs. That’s why he’s a business school professor. 

Matthew is aware of the gratuitous cost of attending university, and he sympathizes with the extreme levels of debt his pupils will carry for the rest of their lives. For that reason, Matthew understands why he must set a tone with his first-year students to teach them an essential lesson about fiscal responsibility. For situations like this, Matthew always prefers techniques of immersion. The students must learn by doing. He could tell them what it’s like to be bleeding money or make them bleed money to really hammer the point home. 

“If you turn to the last page of your syllabus, you’ll find the required reading section,” Prof. Beathard announced to his class of newbies. Listed under the required reading was a textbook that Matthew had co-authored more than a decade ago. In truth, the book wasn’t even remotely relevant to the class, but he didn’t characterize it that way. “You will fail this class and be placed on academic probation without this book. It’s not available in the library, and the book only comes in hardcover. Don’t buy the used copies because you need the most updated version. It’s $185, and for only $200, I’ll autograph it with a personalized inscription.” 

Yes, Matthew made money off each copy of the book sold, but that wasn’t the point. Though they didn’t know it yet, Prof. Beathard had just taught them their first lesson: always wait to buy your textbooks.