FACULTY EXPERTISE
A ‘scholar of the highest order’ retires from the Bellisario College Faculty member Rob Frieden excelled in the classroom and as a researcher
For nearly three decades, Rob Frieden’s identity has been clear and his impact has been unquestionable. That all changed July 1, when Frieden officially retired as a Penn State faculty member. Frieden arrived at Penn State as an associate professor in 1992. He taught his last class as the Pioneers Chair and professor of telecommunications and law in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications during the spring semester. His accomplishments as a teacher and researcher represent a combination of success that serves as an aspirational goal for colleagues at the University and across the country. He taught more than 30,000 hours in the classroom, consistently sharing his expertise (he was a lawyer for Motorola and the FCC before becoming a faculty member) and an engaging sense of humor. Frieden embraced the “rigor” of the classroom, always wearing a coat and tie and striving to be students’ teacher, not necessarily their friend.
Rob Frieden enjoyed his time in the classroom, embracing the “rigor” of faculty-student interaction while often injecting humor to make more challenging topics easier to understand. IMAGE: MARK SELDERS
Ironically, Frieden said he would miss
As a researcher, Frieden authored
teaching the most — and not miss it
five books, 29 book chapters and 75
as well.
law and peer-reviewed journal articles.
“Teaching got me here, and nothing
Additionally, his work was downloaded
can rival teaching, or a courtroom, for
11,280 times from the Social Science
that energy, flow and excitement. It’s
Research Network.
invigorating, problem-solving and an
“He’s a scholar of the highest order
interdisciplinary interaction. You can’t
— one of the most prolific and pro-
replicate that,” he said. “But it can also
ductive members of our star-studded
be incredibly difficult. I loved that rigor.
faculty,” said Patrick Parsons, a prof-
I aspired to maintain that high level each
essor and former head of the Depart-
and every time I entered the classroom.”
ment of Telecommunications.
Still, Frieden was approachable. “There are very few people I know
Frieden influenced many beyond Penn State as well.
who can inject humor into a discussion
“He motivated so many people to
of net neutrality,” said Krishna Jayakar,
want to pursue these types of careers
professor and head of the Department
— telecommunications and how it
of Telecommunications.
intersects with law, how it intersects
I loved that rigor. I aspired to maintain that high level each and every time I entered the classroom.
– Rob Frieden, Pioneers Chair and professor of telecommunications and law
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2020-21 ANNUAL REPORT
