A popular University of Toronto Mississauga professor is defending his decision to reward marks to his students if they buy his book and follow him on social media.

Mitchell Huynh, a sessional lecturer at UTM and self-described “financial ninja,” is offering students a five per cent top-up to their grade if they buy his book “Dumb Money,” get it signed by him, follow him on Twitter and Instagram, and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Huynh told the Star that the Director of the Department of Management had sent him an email asking him to review the participation grade setup, but Huynh stressed that “nothing has been concluded yet.”

In a statement to the Star, U of T said that it couldn’t discuss the details of any specific case because of “personal privacy.”

“The university does have policies regarding grading and fees for course materials,” the statement read. “The university’s grading policy states ‘grades are a measure of the performance of a student. They are an indication of the student’s command of the content of the components of the academic program.’ ”

Huynh claims to have turned his negative net worth after graduating into “several millions” over the course of several years. He has lectured at UTM for three years.

University professors occasionally list their own books or articles on the class syllabus. Much rarer is the practice of explicitly rewarding students for buying the book.

When asked why he hasn’t simply made the book free to help his students, Huynh said that “free doesn’t impart value on the person receiving it.”

“I want them to keep the book, I want them to use the book, so anytime they are looking to execute on their wealth plan, it’s there for them,” he said.

His book is priced anywhere from $6 to $28 online, he says, which is “not an exorbitant amount,” compared to other university textbooks.

Backlash on social media was swift, with some accusing him of being “desperate” and others stressing how “tight” money is for students.

But Huynh is unmoved by the criticism, opting instead to focus on his students.

“My course is one of the highest-rated courses in the Department of Management,” he says. “I get great feedback every time I receive comments from my students.”

The professor sent the Star a copy of the anonymous feedback he received from students last semester. Of the 35 students who chose to respond to the evaluations, the vast majority praised him. (Anonymous, end-of-semester evaluations are one of the only times disgruntled students can safely — and creatively — air grievances against their professors.)

“Great class. I would say that this is one of the most useful classes you can take at UTM,” reads one review.

“Amazing professor with a keen understanding of course material,” reads another.

Amid the praise comes the odd insult (“the course is basically the professor retelling how he got rich and bragging about wealth”) but the comments are mostly positive.

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Making an impact on students is part of Huynh’s rationale for stepping into academia in the first place, he said.

“I want to positively influence the lives of five million people,” he said. “Teaching, as you say, is not a money-maker at all. It actually generates less than five per cent of my annual income.”

Huynh also acts as the director of Experior Financial Group and, for a time, hosted “Smart Money” on Rogers TV.

Huynh says that he’s teaching to help young people mould an ideal financial future for themselves — one where they can “retire at 35” and be “financially free.”