Farmington Faculty


Frank Engert, Ph.D.

Associate Professor - Accounting

Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo
M.B.A., McMaster University, Canada
B.S., McMaster University, Canada

Learning (About Business) — By Doing
Frank Engert teaches entrepreneurship (business and social), financial management, and several operations management courses (service operations, retailing, etc.) in the Business Economics, Outdoor Recreation Business Administration (ORBA), and Arts Administration programs at the University of Maine at Farmington.

Frank believes that students should be engaged with businesses and other organizations in order to understand the business world. Consequently, his students are expected to work directly with the local business community and business leaders in order to apply business concepts to real world issues. These applications may include developing business profiles, developing marketing plans, interviewing business owners or preparing business plans. This hands-on approach enables students to apply business concepts developed in class to the real world, thereby reinforcing their understanding of the business world.


Activities Frank's students have been engaged in include:
Interviewing Entrepreneurs and Business Managers: This activity enables students to become familiar with the process entrepreneurs go through to start and grow their businesses and to discover the common experiences many business owners and managers share. Students share their findings with the class through a formal presentation. Through this process, students are exposed to real-life issues related to owning and running a business: managing employees, managing customers, providing excellent customer service, understanding the competition, maintaining and growing market share in a fast paced global environment, etc. This provides an insider's perspective of the environment in which businesses operate. For students interested in entrepreneurship it also provides them with a reality-check to determine if starting a business is something they really want to do.

Developing Business Profiles: Frank’s operations management courses often include a semester long project where students develop a comprehensive profile of a specific business. This process often requires that students engage in actual field research on the business and industry (interviewing managers and employees, analyzing locations, analyzing marketing materials, evaluating customer service, etc.) in order to apply course concepts to specific business issues.

Service-Learning: Some of Frank’s classes give students the option of participating in a service learning activity in lieu of another course component. Generally these activities require that students spend several hours per week working with a local organization on projects or other activities designed to enable students to further develop their business skills.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance: One community service project Frank's students have long been involved in is the Western Maine Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program. After being certified by the IRS, UMF students, working alongside community volunteers, provide free tax return preparation services to low-income families and senior citizens. The program is run through a collaboration including UMF, the IRS, Casey Family Services and several local nonprofits. Several hundred families and individuals are served by the program each year.

Social Enterprise — Doing Good While Doing Well: Students also have the opportunity to participate in a number of social enterprise projects which enable them to apply their business knowledge and skills to real-life projects that benefit the community. Students have worked with innovative social enterprises such as the Western Mountains Alliance, Bonnie CLAC, the United Way, Women, Work and Community, and The Franklin County Tourism Network, among others.


Business + Recreation (+ Liberal Arts + Location) = ORBA Frank was involved in the development of the Outdoor Recreation Business Administration program and offers a number of courses in the program. UMF’s emphasis on the liberal arts, combined with courses from business, recreation and geography, plus UMF’s location in Maine's western mountains provides a unique and rewarding educational experience.

Students in the ORBA Program can develop the skills necessary to cope not only with the challenges of the outdoor recreation sector, but with most business environments. A noteworthy feature of the program is that students are required to complete an internship in the outdoor recreation business sector. As part of the leadership group for the program, Frank works with industry leaders, advises ORBA students and teaches several courses in the program.


A True Academic — Areas of Special Interest
Frank's academic interests include entrepreneurship (business and social), financial management and operations management (including service operations management and retailing). He is particularly interested in courses which synthesize and develop skills from several functional areas of business. Current research interests are focused on tourism issues, particularly those pertaining to western Maine.


Respected in the Field — Noteworthy Accomplishments
Frank has published a number of reports and articles related to aspects of operations management pertaining to school districts and health care organizations, and has presented on these areas many times. Currently, he is working with local organizations on projects related to tourism management, particularly in Western Maine.

Frank also has an extensive record of professional service. For many years he was the Treasurer of The Institute of Behavioral and Applied Management (a national organization), as well as serving as a division co-chair. Since 2005, he has been a fellow of the Maine Center Tourism Research and Outreach (CenTRO). He has also worked as consultant with the Maine Health Research Institute. Frank has also participated in numerous professional conferences and symposia over the years.

In terms of community service, he was a founder and director of the Western Maine Income Tax Assistance Program and also served as director of the Western Maine CASH Coalition (CASH = Creating Assets, Savings and Hope). He also served on curriculum committees with his local school district.


Outside of Academia — Personal Interests and Activities
Outside his academic role, Frank is an active motorcyclist, having visited most of the contiguous United States, as well as most of the Canadian provinces, on his motorcycle. In addition, he enjoys hiking, kayaking, and Tai Chi. Frank is also an avid fan of football and hockey, and coached youth hockey in the past.

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