Pair of Purdue Calumet Professors Write Books

PUC-LogoTwo Purdue University Calumet faculty members have authored recently published books.

Professor of Finance Pat Obi’s publication, “We Must Change the Way We Live,” is a reflective perspective of the value of financial prudence and advanced education in a changing world.

Associate Professor of History Tanya Stabler Miller focused on a 13th century French religious movement that connects female spirituality and labor in her book, “The Beguines of Medieval Paris: Gender, Patronage, and Spiritual Authority.”

“We Must Change the Way We Live”
Obi wrote “We Must Change the Way We Live”, he said, for a general audience of individuals and families faced with life decisions about such matters as buying a home, financing a college education, managing debt and personal investments, and planning for retirement.

The book attempts to be a reasoned, simple-to-follow guide on fiscal discipline and strengthening American society.

“Unlike most other resources on financial education, the approach in this book is grounded in how we can best prepare, not only to become financially independent, but also to offer a helping hand to those who otherwise would be limited in their own efforts to succeed,” Obi, a Chicago resident, said.

He added that financial independence and empowerment are often the result of “wise use of money and a good education, or possessing the right skill sets. However, the lasting legacy of many American success stories shows that the greatest success is the ability to make a valued contribution in the lives of others.”

The book is published by Archway Publishing and can be reviewed at www.patobi.com.

Obi, also Purdue Calumet’s White Lodging Endowed Professor of Finance in Hospitality and Tourism Management and director of the university’s MBA for Executives program, has served Purdue Calumet since 1989. His research areas include corporate financial analysis, financial planning, business valuation and risk management. He frequently addresses topics of financial significance, including the collapse of the U.S. housing market in 2007 and the financial crisis it prompted.

Purdue Calumet’s first Faculty Lecturer Award recipient in 2010 and keynote speaker of the 2013 Global Business and Technology International Conference holds a baccalaureate degree from the Institute of Management and Technology in Enugu, Nigeria; an MBA from Texas State University; and a doctorate from the University of Mississippi.

“The Beguines of Medieval Paris…”
Stabler Miller’s book focuses on her Ph.D. research on laywomen known as beguines—women who devoted their lives to Christian ideals and societal service without taking formal vows. Through their chosen lifestyle, 13th century Parisian beguines enjoyed unprecedented esteem and patronage.

“Beguines constituted, as one prominent scholar of medieval history has termed, a ‘women’s movement’,” Chicago resident Stabler Miller said, “because they took the initiative to form communities of like-minded women—communities that eventually gained the recognition and support of local religious and secular authorities.”

Stabler Miller conducted research for her book primarily in Paris, studying manuscripts housed in archives throughout the city.

“My primary takeaway from writing this book is that by researching women we can vastly enrich our understanding of the past,” she said. “The prevailing scholarly belief about medieval beguines is that these women were marginal, poor and—if noticed at all—persistently harassed by ecclesiastical and lay authorities. My book challenges this portrayal… By studying beguines, I believe I’ve made some important contributions to our knowledge of (Paris).”

The book is published by University of Pennsylvania Press. Access and other book information is available at http://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/15228.html.

Stabler Miller has been a Purdue Calumet faculty member since 2007. She holds a baccalaureate degree from the University of West Florida and master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of California.