Great Teaching: Paul Nylen

Written by Lalaina Chandanais | Photos by Craig Schreiner

Paul Nylen, associate professor of accounting at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, did not always picture himself as an educator.

Having had a wide range of experiences in many different sides of the accounting field, including work in public accounting for Deloitte in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and work in tax law through the IRS, Nylen could have taken his career path in a multitude of directions.

But sometimes your calling finds you when you least expect it.

After graduating from the University of Iowa with a master’s degree in accounting in 2010, Nylen pursued a juris doctor (J.D.) at Marquette University. In 2012, he got the opportunity to work as an adjunct professor of accounting. While it was very different from what he had imagined himself doing post-undergrad, he thrived in the position, discovering that giving a class of students a new understanding of a subject like taxes was exciting to him.

While he continued into the tax management field, Nylen did not forget that passion he found for teaching.

Joining a powerhouse

In 2017, after having worked as an international tax manager for Deloitte, he became aware of an opportunity to teach accounting at UW-Whitewater.

“While I had been an adjunct at Marquette, I remember someone had mentioned that accounting education would be a good career path for me to look into,” said Nylen. “I also knew that Whitewater had a good business school.”

When Nylen officially began teaching at UW-Whitewater, he was able to combine his previous work in tax management with his academic research, which mainly focused on international tax issues, such as foreign currency transactions.

To Nylen, the College of Business and Economics stood out amongst other business schools in the area thanks to its exceptional team of versatile educators.

“To me, CoBE has one big advantage over other business schools in the state: a variety of expertise in different areas,” said Nylen. “You might have the same professor teaching all different types of marketing or accounting.”

After a few years, Nylen realized the potential benefits of incorporating one of his growing interests — Bitcoin, a decentralized digital currency that allows people to send money directly to one another without a bank or other payment processor — into the college’s curriculum.

“Everyone has a similar start to their journey with Bitcoin. Most people first learn about it from a news article headline or a friend mentions it, and they misunderstand it,” said Nylen. “When you actually learn about Bitcoin and the history of how monetary units evolved, it is one of the most fun rabbit holes my students can go down in my classes. You should go down rabbit holes — or else, what are you doing here?”

Often, students who Nylen introduced to the concept of Bitcoin remark on Nylen’s clear passion for shifting students away from their preconceived notions.

“Paul’s Intro to Blockchain and Cryptocurrency class really opened my mind up to a bunch of new ideas, mainly about Bitcoin, but understanding money in general,” said Danny Hanlon, a May 2026 graduate with a degree in accounting and Spanish who was hired before graduation by Vrakas CPAs + Advisors in Chicago. “It allowed me to be a part of the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency student org and go on trips for Bitcoin.”

Students note how the uniqueness of Nylen’s teaching style got them interested in the subjects he was teaching.

“Paul is, I’d say, a very nontraditional professor, and I mean that in the best way possible,” said Jake Quast, a finance major and May 2026 graduate who was hired before graduation at Studio Oakley in Chicago. “He’s extremely engaging. He really, really challenges you to think about broader themes and bigger ideas when he’s teaching.”

Students also point to Nylen’s deep understanding of many different sides of accounting and finance due to his experience prior to UW-Whitewater.

“It’s a crazy thing to be able to just relate to anybody on so many levels. That’s really the best part about Paul,” said Hanlon. “Anything you want to talk about, he’s knowledgeable. Any level you’re at, he can relate to.”

“I’m glad he has decided to give back his time back to the next generation and help students to use that gift for our benefit,” said Quast.

Along with his dedication to breaking down uninformed assumptions, Nylen’s teaching philosophy holds a strong emphasis on engagement and focus.

“I have no screens in my class. No computers, no phones. The classes I teach require focus, and you actually have to think through structures,” says Nylen. “Focus is something you have to practice at. You learn focus when you are younger, and when you are older, it gets taken from you.”

Providing students with memorable outside-of-class experiences

As advisor of the Blockchain and Cryptocurrency club, Nylen has had the opportunity to expand the cryptocurrency lessons he teaches in class into student-driven action.

“In the club, Paul was able to help Danny and me build out a sizable book collection and section within the Whitewater library. Securing funding, finding the titles, ordering the books, actually getting it set up and getting all the books processed within the library,” said Quast.

“We added 30 titles to the library,” Hanlon proudly added.

The club meets biweekly to host discussions about all things Bitcoin, where anyone is welcome to attend. They also host panels and attend annual conferences where students can network and bond as an organization.

One of Nylen’s most treasured experiences of his entire career at UW-Whitewater was being able to guide a student on their path of leadership.

“I had a student in my very first financial accounting class named Trevor Dimpfl. He ended up taking over the crypto club as president,” recalled Nylen. “For me to have had him in one of his first semesters not knowing anything, to then see him take over an org, it was a cool experience watching him go through a cycle of getting to know himself and developing himself.”

Nylen’s biggest piece of advice he has formulated throughout his teaching career guided his own professional path to teaching.

“On the journey of a thousand steps, there was a first step. So, take the first step.”