Dr. Ben Cherry Appointed Interim Dean of CoBA

The College of Business Administration is excited to announce that Dr. Bennett Cherry, Professor of Management and Entrepreneurship at CSUSM, will assume the role of interim dean on July 1st!

Dr. Cherry has served as the faculty program director of the Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (BSBA) program at CSUSM Temecula since 2014 and the NCAA faculty athletics representative since 2004. His additional administrative experience includes serving as the chair of the Department of Management and Marketing in 2007 and from 2012-14 and as CoBA’s interim associate dean from 2011-12. Dr. Cherry has also played an important role in the development and building of programs and university-wide initiatives. His extensive service record includes serving on the AACSB accreditation team since 2019 and the Assurance of Learning team from 2016-18. He also has served in a variety of leadership and committee roles, including as a member of the CSUSM Foundation Board and the CSUSM Foundation Finance & Investment Committee.
 

Dr. Cherry received his Ph.D. and master’s in management from the University of Arizona and his bachelor’s in industrial/organizational psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University. His major areas of research include nascent entrepreneurs, fanatical customer behavior, new venture creation, employee engagement, and humility and trust in leadership. His research has been presented at international conferences and published in numerous academic and practitioner-oriented journals. With a passion for introducing students from varying backgrounds to international experiences, Dr. Cherry has partnered with universities in South Africa, Germany, Italy, Spain and Austria and taught as a visiting professor in Germany, Denmark and Austria.

Dr. Cherry will bring keen insights, strategic vision and an unwavering commitment to our students’ success to his role as interim dean. He shared, “It is an honor to serve in this role for the upcoming year. Due to the work of our retiring dean, Jim Hamerly, and our Associate Dean, Mohammad Oskoorouchi, with the untiring staff and committed faculty, we have so much to look forward to in the near future. We are poised for student success and growth, refinement of our academic program offerings, and continuing to make an impact in the region. It is a wonderful time to step into this role." Please join the college in congratulating Dr. Cherry!