
Michael Wittry
Background
Michael Wittry joined the Department of Finance at Fisher in 2019 after earning his Ph.D. in Finance and Business Economics at the University of Washington in Seattle. He also holds master’s degrees in financial mathematics and statistics from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa.
Professor Wittry's research spans a variety of areas within empirical corporate finance, with a particular emphasis on capital structure and corporate governance. His latest work aims to better understand how agency frictions impact firm decision-making and real outcomes. He has published scholarly articles in top finance journals such as Journal of Finance and Review of Financial Studies.
Professor Wittry's academic contributions have been recognized on multiple occasions. Most recently, his paper on "Production and Externalities: The Role of Corporate Governance" won the WRDS best paper award at the Drexel Corporate Governance Conference, and in 2022, he was awarded the Rising Scholar Award by the Review of Corporate Finance Studies for his work on "Crisis Poison Pills." Professor Wittry is also a research member of the European Corporate Governance Institute.
During his time at the University of Washington, Professor Wittry was also recognized for his role in teaching corporate finance to MBA students. In 2018, he was a finalist for the Excellence in Teaching award, the highest form of recognition for graduate instructors at the University of Washington. Additionally, he was awarded the Foster School of Business Ph.D. Program Teaching Award. Professor Wittry teaches corporate finance to undergraduate students at Fisher and corporate methods to the Ph.D. students.
Areas of Expertise
Corporate Finance
- Corporate Finance
- Corporate Governance
Education
Ph.D. in Finance, University of Washington
MS in Mathematical Finance and Applied Statistics, University of North Carolina at Charlotte
BA in Business Administration, Buena Vista University
Publications
Strategic Learning and Corporate Investment (with Paul Decaire), Journal of Finance, Forthcoming.
The Consequence to Directors for Adopting Poison Pills (with William Johnson and Jonathan Karpoff), Management Science, Forthcoming.
Corporate Takeover Defenses (with Jonathan Karpoff), in Handbook of Corporate Finance, David J. Denis, ed., forthcoming
(Debt) Overhang: Evidence from Resource Extraction, Review of Financial Studies, 34(4), 1699-1746, April 2021
Crisis Poison Pills (with Ofer Eldar), Review of Corporate Finance Studies, 10(1), 204-251, March 2021.
Institutional and Legal Context in Natural Experiments: The Case of State Antitakeover Laws (with Jonathan Karpoff), Journal of Finance, 73(2), 657-714, April 2018.
Courses
- BUSFIN 4211 - Corporate Finance
- Analysis of advanced capital budgeting problems through understanding the theories and applications of capital structure, leasing and real options. Theories and applications in corporate control, corporate governance and mergers and acquisitions. Prereq: 3220, AcctMIS 2200, 2300, BusOBA 2320, 2321, and BusMHR 2291 or 2292. Not open to students with credit for 4210 or 4212.
- BUSFIN 8240 - Seminar: Empirical Corporate Finance
- Covers empirical research and mythologies in areas related to capital structure, investment, financial distress and governance. Prereq: Permission of instructor. Not open to students with credit for 922.