Welcome to the Friday Faculty Spotlight! This week features School of Business Associate Dean of Graduate & Certificate Programs and Associate Professor of Management Bernadine Dykes, Ph.D., CPA. On her faculty profile page, Dr. Dykes’ personal quote is “fill your life with experiences. . . not excuses.” Dykes is similarly straightforward in her Friday Faculty Spotlight Q&A, in which she talks about her areas of focus as an educator and researcher, as well as a surprising morsel about her past.
If there’s a faculty member you feel the university community needs to get to know better, just fill out the Friday Faculty Spotlight submission form. Friday Faculty Spotlights appear in the SUN-e and on the university’s website. If you have any questions, please contact omc@su.edu.
When did you start at Shenandoah and what drew you to the university?
I joined SU in 2016. I liked the small atmosphere.
What is your teaching approach?
I try to focus on relevant material and analysis in my teaching approach.
What are your goals in the areas of student retention and success, and how are you going about achieving them?
My goal is for my students to learn at least 1-2 new ideas that they can take with them after they graduate. I’m still figuring out how to assess that goal.
What do you hope your students will take away from their time in your classes?
I hope my students understand that strategy (my area of teaching and research) is a complex area that requires years of experience to fully understand.
What are your areas of focus as a researcher?
I focus on strategy and international business in my research. More specifically, I study infrastructure public-private partnerships (PPPs) and time-based competitive strategies, such as organizational speed, entry timing and preemption.
What is a little-known fact about you?
I earned a certificate in culinary arts from the New School in New York City.
What do you do for fun/in your free time?
I enjoy movies and fine dining. I also enjoy spending time with family and friends.
