Assistant dean seeks to create mentor type experience for graduate students

Riverside, Calif. (Dec. 17, 2018) – Dr. Tad Hove addressed the necessary components for a business plan in his graduate management class at California Baptist University. He made sure students’ plans were detailed.

He also stopped to encourage his students with a biblical theme referencing Jeremiah 29:11.

“God has a business plan for your life and it was made before you even were born,” said Hove, assistant dean for graduate programs in the Dr. Robert K. Jabs School of Business. “As believers, we can rest in that, because starting a business and running your own personal life is not easy.”

Hove became assistant dean for graduate programs within the School of Business on July 1, 2018. Prior to his new role, he was an adjunct professor at CBU. He is also a businessman with more than a decade of experience at Qualcomm, working on cell phone design and battery technology. Additionally, Hove has invested in real estate.

Hove is big on developing mentor-based relationships with his students. 

Because mentors helped Hove get through some tough situations during his teen years, he now seeks a similar way to help others.

“The goal for me is that the students do something that they never thought they could do before. We all fear change and to some level, fear different challenges,” Hove said. “I want them to be able to look back and say ‘this is what I got from the MBA program that I never thought I would get.’”

As assistant dean, Hove said he wants to build graduate programs to well equip every student. That may mean building supplemental plans for those students who struggle with writing and research or helping executives who want to climb the corporate ladder, he added.

Moving forward, Hove also plans to interview each applicant applying for a graduate business program. He is looking at the student’s prior journey and their strategy in attaining a master’s, Hove said. The fact-finding process is both educational and spiritual.

“The education piece looks at the student’s goals and what can be nourished and blossom within the program,” Hove said. “The spiritual piece evolves around relationship building, removing fear and doubt and building intrinsic motivation to move forward.”