Trinity Western University has announced the appointment of Andrea Soberg as Dean of the School of Business.

No stranger to the School of Business, Soberg has acted as associate dean since 2005, co-managing the school that currently has more than 500 students and 18 faculty and staff.

She was also on the Board of Governor’s Task Force that created, in 1999-2000, the design of the current School of Business.

As dean, Soberg will continue to be responsible for academic program development, course scheduling, exchange programs, faculty and staff recruitment and development.

“I’m excited for the opportunity to be leading a team of phenomenal Christian academics who are also recognized for their accomplishments in the local, national and international business communities,” said Soberg.

Soberg has a wealth of experience to guide her. A tenured Associate Professor, she leads the Human Resource Management specialization in the BBA program and has a consulting business called People First Consulting where she works with organizations, in both the private and public sector.

She holds a Master of Industrial Relations degree from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Arts degree from Simon Fraser University, and is a Certified Human Resource Professional in Canada.

Her passion for the school of business comes from her interest in educating young people.

“The opportunity to develop students – undergraduate, graduate, and those who take seminars through executive/corporate training – into future leaders of for-profit and not-for-profit organizations throughout the world is so rewarding.

This involves having the opportunity to help these students think about their personal, professional, and business/management decisions with a Christian world-view.”

TWU launched the School of Business in 2000 as the first professional school at TWU but the business program has a long heritage, one of the first associate degree programs offered when the university was only a junior college in 1962.

In the late 1970’s when Trinity began offering four-year degree programs, students took business courses through the Faculty of Business and Economics. Today, the undergraduate program offers specializations in accounting, corporate finance, entrepreneurship, human resource management, international business, leadership and management, marketing and personal finance.

The Trinity Western University MBA was launched in 2007 and expanded to offer an MBA with an International Business Specialization in 2008. The School has also been recognized in national newspapers like the Globe and Mail for its unique programs.

“Some of the School’s distinctives include small classes, professors who are business professionals in their area of discipline which means students have an opportunity to work on real-time consulting projects within their classes, and the fact that TWU offers students the opportunity to be mentored by local and national business leaders,” Soberg said.

“We also have international exchange programs where students can take a term to study abroad and receive TWU credits, and we offer an annual travel study when students can learn some of their business courses while visiting businesses in other countries.”

Soberg is eager to see the school continue to grow and be recognized.

“My goal is to further enhance the quality of the education products we currently deliver. We are a very unique school in that we teach business from a Christian perspective and we know that this adds value that other schools just can’t provide.”