On April 5, 2024, Dr. Larissa Smith, provost and vice president for academic affairs, officially announced that Dr. Khawaja Mamun was named the dean of Longwood’s College of Business and Economics (CBE).
Mamun, the former associate dean at Sacred Heart University, decided to make a shift to Longwood because it was based in community, family, not too far from a city, and was a new opportunity to take a step further in his career.
In an interview with The Rotunda on Sept. 3, Mamun emphasized strong bonds between students and faculty at Longwood. “They know the students by name, all of them, so they know where they’re going for internships. So that amazed me,” he said.
Before his time at Longwood, Mamun completed his doctorate at the University of Southern Methodist University. He then spent 18 years at Sacred Heart University, first as an associate professor in the College of Business, then climbed his way to program director and then associate dean of Computer Science and Engineering. From there, he became the program director for the College of Business. Before he made his shift to Longwood University, he was named associate dean of Academic Assessment for the College of Business and Technology.
When moving to Longwood, he emphasized his excitement that his commute was less than a five minute walk from campus, especially because he is excited to support the athletics programs and go to all of the campus events.
Mamun said he wanted to “make [his] mark” on the CBE. His plan is to implement a Student Success Team that is meant to assist business students in improving their quality and experience. “This team will help our students to get all kinds of help they need, from as simple as ‘classes I need to take, to needing a tutor,’” he said.
Per Mamun, he is currently working on creating a supply chain minor, as well as an accounting and finance MBA program – ideas that spurred from reviewing student evaluations. On top of these additions, a one-credit freshman course is being added for the CBE to introduce freshmen to the business professors and the university’s culture.
According to Mamun, he prioritizes open communication, and said he wants to hear from others and receive feedback from faculty members, and even students. “I promised my faculty and staff that I cannot guarantee that they will like every decision that we make and that everyone will like it every time. That’s not possible, but at least their voices are heard. That’s what I promised them,” he said.
Mamun said he wanted to become an educator to impact student’s lives, and by becoming a dean, he stated “you can multiply your impact.” In order to make an impact on students, Mamun is teaching a section of ECON 217 (Principles of Microeconomics) so he can get to know Longwood student culture.
Dr. Khawaja Mamun at the Sept. 13 Board of Visitors Meeting
Savannah Bartlett / The RotundaManaging and Photo Editor
savannah.bartlett@live.longwood.edu
