Helping Students Grow: The Work of Mike Bandy

Photo provided by Rampage student photographer Savannah Thompson

Mike Bandy has spent years helping others learn both in and out of the classroom. As a professor at Bluefield University, Bandy uses his experience in accounting and coaching to help students prepare for life after college.

Bandy has always enjoyed teaching others. He runs his own certified public accountant (CPA) practice, which he has operated since 2001, where he helps clients with their businesses. He also coached soccer earlier in his life and believes coaching is another form of teaching.

“I’ve been drawn to passing on information that I know to someone else,” Bandy said.

When the opportunity to teach at BU came along in 2018, Bandy said it was “a blessing from God.” Since then, he has enjoyed helping students grow throughout their college careers and watching them succeed after graduation.

“There’s an energy when you walk on campus that’s hard to describe. There’s such life here!” Bandy said. He added that seeing students graduate is one of the best parts of his job, saying, “There’s nothing like it.”

One experience that stands out to Bandy is the managerial accounting project his students complete each spring. Students operate an accounting system throughout the semester and present their findings to a group acting as a company board. The project gives students a chance to practice skills they will need in the working world.

“Each term has a different vibe, but the students always step up and do a great job,” Bandy said. “That’s our Super Bowl!”

Students who have taken Bandy’s classes also appreciate his teaching style and the way he connects with them. Dylan Nash described Bandy as one of the best professors he has had, pointing to his humor, personality, and willingness to help students.

“He is funny, makes jokes throughout class, and loves interacting with his students while still keeping everyone focused and teaching us what we need to know,” Nash said.

Nash also said Bandy does a good job connecting accounting concepts to real-world experiences, which makes the lessons easier to understand. He added that Bandy shows his faith through the way he treats others and the passion he brings to teaching.

Beyond academics, Bandy hopes his students learn to set high standards for themselves and make faith part of their everyday lives. He believes preparation builds confidence and encourages students to keep improving, even when progress feels slow.

“Little by little adds up to a lot,” Bandy said. “Get one percent better every day. Finally, when in doubt, just keep showing up!”

That message has made an impact on Nash, who said Bandy often shares inspirational quotes and advice during class. One statement that stood out to him was “sometimes your standards need to be higher than what is expected around you.”

Nash said the quote reminds him to hold himself to a high standard regardless of what others are doing. He also appreciates that Bandy believes in his students and encourages them to believe in themselves.

Outside of teaching and running his accounting practice, Bandy enjoys reading, watching sports, collecting comic books, listening to old vinyl records, and spending time with his family. He has more than 1,000 books on his Kindle, along with a library at home.

Another surprising fact about Bandy is that he earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do when he was younger. He joked that his flying sidekick does not exist anymore, but it is still an interesting part of his life outside the classroom.

Bandy is also proud of being the first person in his family to earn a college degree. He began his education with an associate degree in accounting in 1990 and continued his studies from there.

Looking ahead, Bandy hopes to continue teaching for many years and build BU’s accounting concentration into an elite program in the region. He also plans to keep his accounting firm going for a few more years and hopes to take an around-the-world cruise with his wife someday.

For Bandy, teaching is about more than accounting or preparing students for their future careers. He wants to help them grow as people, develop confidence, and learn lessons they can carry with them long after they leave his classroom. As Nash’s experience shows, Bandy’s influence reaches beyond the material taught in class and into the lives of the students he works with every day.