David Denslow, a professor in the Warrington College of Business Administration, will retire during the summer after more than 40 years at UF.
Denslow has been teaching at UF since 1969, he said. He plans to officially retire on May 15.
He has taught introductory macroeconomics for much of his UF career, and thousands of students have taken his class as a degree prerequisite. Recently, Denslow left that class to teach international business.
He has received several awards while at the university, including Warrington’s teacher of the year four times.
Denslow said he was glad to be a part of UF as it rose in rank over the years.
“I really enjoyed the fact that it got better and better over time,” he said.
Earning the President’s Medallion in Recognition of Distinguished Service in 1989 was especially meaningful, he said.
Biology junior Blake Tomlin, 21, took Denslow’s macroeconomics lecture his freshman year as a requirement for his business minor.
He said Denslow would present multiple topics in each lecture, jumping from one idea to another because they were all connected.
“I thought he was a very detail-oriented teacher,” he said. “He wouldn’t dumb down material for his students.”
Tomlin said Denslow was very approachable and quirky, inventing terms like “trilemma” and pronouncing the same word multiple ways.
Denslow served as chairman of the Department of Economics, according to his resume. He was faculty adviser for Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity for eight years.
His research projects include work on historical Cuba, the housing bubble and aviation, he said.
He is a research economist for the university’s Bureau of Economic Business Research and director of its Policy Studies Program.
Denslow has also been involved in various state committees, according to his resume. He has examined legislative issues such as budget reform and urban growth.
He said he has a strong interest in international business, and he taught and studied in Brazil for about five years. His master’s and doctorate degrees from Yale University are in economics.
“You can cover anything you want in the whole world,” he said.
After he retires, Denslow plans to continue his research and involvement at UF. He would like to give seminars and work with students, particularly undergraduates.
Denslow said he has enjoyed his years at UF.
“It’s been great,” he said. “I really lucked out.”
Economics professor David Denslow, 69, poses for a picture in his office on Monday.
