The NIU finance department has four faculty members who rank in the top 8.5 percent of finance researchers.

The Journal of Finance reported in March that to be in the top 8.5 percent, researchers have to be published more than five times in the top 15 finance journals.

The four faculty members are Finance Department Chairman W. Scott Bauman and associate professors Robert Miller, Richard Dowan and James Johnson.

An article in The Financial Management Journal stated that having about 16 articles in the top 15 finance journals would earn a finance department a place as one of the top 100 finance departments.

“Based on (the Financial Management) ranking, that would be sufficient for NIU to be ranked 68th out of 659 finance departments with faculty authors,” Bauman said.

NIU finance researchers have published over 30 articles in the top 15 finance journals, Bauman said.

Bauman said students are “exposed to the most up to date practices” in business when the professor does frequent research.

“Research is a vital, key element in teaching,” Miller said.

He said research helps faculty stay current on information in their field, and the information is passed on to students.

Having faculty members published frequently reflects favorably on NIU, the College of Business and the finance department, Bauman said.

Miller said it helps to attract faculty to NIU partially because prospective faculty members will have seen the works of NIU professors.

Bauman said The Financial Management Journal and The Journal of Finance are considered to be the top two finance publications. Two of the other journals in the top 15 are Financial Analyst Journal and Journal of Portfolio Management, he said.