It started innocently enough. Five years ago, Joe Bailey, research associate professor of decision, operations and information technologies and director of the QUEST undergraduate honors program, put on a bow tie in honor of his bow tie-wearing father-in-law. But then there was another bow tie, and another. And bow ties seemed to demand a different aesthetic for jackets. And trousers. And belts.

When Bailey walks Van Munching Hall these days, he’s instantly recognizable by his bright ensembles coordinated around the inevitable bow tie. It’s not a character or persona — this is how Bailey likes to dress. “Solidly traditional American,” he describes it. Even the cut of his seersucker suit is pure Brooks Brothers by way of Nantucket in July.

His students enjoy it, perhaps in part because b-schools tend to be so straight-laced. Bailey’s signature style brings a welcome element of fun, even in classrooms where he’s teaching dry courses such as Introduction to Design and Quality and Managing Digital Business Markets.

“I’d hoped to be in Smith Business because of my ground-breaking research,” Bailey jokes. Just so you know, he has an impressive research career under his (ribbon) belt. Bailey has authored books and journal articles that span issues in telecommunications, economics and public policy, with an emphasis on the economics of the Internet. He’s also earned 11 teaching awards in his 14 years at the Smith School. Undergraduates, MBAs and doctoral students have benefited from Bailey’s teaching prowess. But it’s the Terp pants they will never forget. And he’s okay with that. 

By Rebecca Winner