By A’ishah Crawford
On Nov. 1, 2021, the Martin V. Smith School of Business and Economics (MVS School) welcomed a permanent dean, Dr. Susan A. Andrzejewski. According to the Campus Global email from Provost Mitch Avila which announced her appointment as dean, Andrzejewski received her doctorate in Social Psychology from Northeastern University, having previously completed pre-doctoral work in the Marketing Departments at Babson College and Northeastern University. She holds an M.S. in Social Psychology from Northeastern University and a B.S. in Psychology from Bethany College. The Provost explained that “her research lies at the intersection of Business and Social Psychology and explores how psychological principles strongly influence what happens in the consumer marketplace and entrepreneurial landscape.”
The CI View had the opportunity to conduct an interview with Andrzejewski via email to ask her further questions about her professional experiences and her goals as dean.
Andrzejewski is not new to the position, having served as Interim Dean of the MVS School for three years. She “stepped into the permanent role eager to hit the ground running after getting to know the MVS School’s strengths and opportunities.” Of her decision to work at CI, Andrzejewski shared, “The University’s commitment to providing a high-quality, affordable education grounded in interdisciplinary and experiential education initially drew me to CSU Channel Islands.” Prior to working at CI, Andrzejewski was a faculty member and the Associate Chair of the Business, Organizations and Society Department at Franklin & Marshall College.
Provost Avila expressed his support of Andrzejewski’s appointment as dean, stating that “under her leadership, The MVS School has moved several successful initiatives forward.” This includes “developing the MVS School’s five-year Strategic Plan; … expanding partnerships across the University and within the local/global community; … and increasing funding to support scholarship, high-impact teaching practices, and professional development and programming related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
Previous experiences as a professor and administrator have brought Andrzejewski to “(value) the transformational impact of a high-quality, interdisciplinary, experiential, and inclusive educational experience.” She expressed that she “hope(s) to bring a collaborative, consultative, transparent, and data-informed approach to decision-making” in her role as dean.
Andrzejewski said that one of her undergraduate professors inspired her to pursue graduate studies. It was during this time that she began to be interested in becoming a college professor. She later began to consider becoming a dean after being involved in various leadership positions throughout her career as a college faculty member. She concluded the interview on an uplifting note, stating that “it (has) been an honor to be both a faculty member and administrator at CSU Channel Islands, and I look forward to working with the campus community, as we envision what the next twenty years hold for CSUCI! Go Dolphins!”
We congratulate Andrzejewski and look forward to seeing the direction the MVS School will take under her leadership.
