Since the dawn of financial innovation, legendary gurus have always held the spotlight, as these individuals helped shape and develop the market we know today. Though their contributions are certainly significant, there is one group of sometimes overlooked individuals who have continually played a major role in the world of finance and economics: professors. And with the ETF industry continuing its rapid development and expansion, academics are getting on board [see Visual History Of The S&P 500]. These professors are reshaping the curriculum, teaching extensively about exchange-traded funds, which, until recently, were rarely covered in the coursework of many major universities. Some of the names on this list have even translated their academic theories into investment results, helping create some of the most intriguing ETFs out there. For those wondering who exactly is behind the ETF evolution, we highlight several well-accomplished ETF-friendly professors (in no particular order): [If you're an ETF-friendly professor, drop us a line and let [...] Click here to read the original article on ETFdb.com. Related Posts: 130/30 ETF (CSM) Continues To Impress Beyond SPY: Nine Alternatives To S&P 500 ETFs Seven Alpha-Seeking ETFs That Have Crushed Their “Benchmarks” Beyond SPY: Five Outperforming Large Cap ETFs Five Twists On S&P 500 ETFs