Posted: June 17, 2016
LaSharnda Beckwith, Ph.D, is delighted to join the faculty at Hope International University, where her international training and her personal mission are an ideal fit. As the new Dean of HIU’s College of Business & Management, Dr. Beckwith’s number one priority is to further the integration of faith with business, followed by secondary accreditation, adding a Doctor of Business Administration degree to HIU’s academic programs, and highlighting the accomplishments of alumni.
“I’m extremely happy to have Dr. Beckwith lead our College of Business and Management,” remarked Dr. Paul Alexander, HIU’s Vice President for Academic Affairs. “She brings a wealth of experience, talent, and a passion for Christian higher education; and her impressive credentials pale in light of her exemplary character. She will be a fantastic role model for business students who are just beginning their careers, older students completing degrees online as well as veteran business students completing their MBA’s. I’m also thrilled that her passion for business and missions fits perfectly with the HIU focus we’ve had for the last 10 years on the importance of using business to impact people and cultures worldwide both in terms of evangelism and societal change.”
Dr. Beckwith believes that building relationships is the foundation of growing the College, and began reaching out to business connections on the west coast while she was still in Texas, laying the groundwork for starting a community advisory council for the College of Business. She plans to work with local organizations in Orange County, but will depend heavily on the networks she has built through the previous phases of her career.
“It’s all about relationships,” she said, adding that her teaching philosophy is tied to relationship building as well. “I prefer to focus on learning, rather than on teaching. I believe in investing in others, showing them that I care, not letting them slide, and loving them through their challenges.”
Dr. Beckwith spent more than two decades as an executive with the United States Army & Air Force Exchange Service, most recently as Vice President of Eastern Operations. She also loves teaching, and has served as the Chair of the Department of Business for Southwest Assemblies of God University in Texas, as well as Texas Woman’s University, and Embry-Riddle University. That combination of skills has proven to serve her and her students quite well.
