Five professors in William Paterson University’s Cotsakos College of Business have received Bright Ideas Awards, which recognize scholarship across New Jersey for outstanding quality and meaningful impact on business practice.

Every year, the New Jersey Policy Research Organization (NJPRO) and the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University publish an annual volume that features research abstracts and citations from business faculty across New Jersey’s colleges and universities. The publication highlights scholarly research on business-related issues that are relevant, timely, and educational for New Jersey firms and policymakers.

From among these contributions, a distinguished panel of business school deans and business leaders selects a limited number of works for Bright Ideas Awards. William Paterson University business faculty penned three of the 10 intellectual contributions selected for awards in 2025.

Honorees include:

• Professor Rahi Abouk (Economics) for “Estimating the Effects of Tobacco-21 on Youth Tobacco Use and Sales”, an analysis of public policy outcomes related to youth health and regulatory change.
• Professors Valeriya Avdeev, Sia Nassiripour, and Hannah Wong (all in Accounting) for “Real Estate and Tax Credits: How Can the Tax Credits Be Used to Make Affordable Housing More Feasible?”, a collaborative study exploring the role of tax policy in addressing affordable housing challenges.
• Professor Ali Mir (Management) for “The Business of Stealing Futures: Race, Gender, and the Student Debt Regime”, which examines the structural and social implications of student debt in the modern economy.

“These awards underscore the strength of our faculty’s scholarship and its contributions to business research, public policy, and teaching excellence,” says Cotsakos College of Business Dean Anthony Bowrin.