- Faculty; On Campus & On Location
Before he became a teacher, Dr. Tej S. Dhakar, professor and chair of quantitative studies, operations and project management, ran the printing division of The Times of India, India's largest newspaper group, using his background as an engineer and developing skills in administration and human resources.
In the evenings, he attended classes at the University of Delhi, where he earned his M.B.A. He went on to earn his Ph.D. in management science with a concentration in operations management from the University of Alabama.
"I'm glad I had some business experience before I started teaching, so I'm not just teaching out of the book," the professor says.
At SNHU, Dhakar teaches mostly graduate classes, typically held in the evening after students have put in a full day at work.
"They're so motivated," he says. "They're making sacrifices because they want to improve their qualifications. They want to get better jobs. It’s really a pleasure to be involved with them."
Dhakar's classes emphasize analytical and computer skills, critical in business operations, no matter the service or product being produced. He also focuses on project management, including group projects, and quantitative studies, the numbers side of business.
"I try to communicate to them the best information in the field," he says.
But the professor also recognizes that not everything in his field can be measured.
"It's not just transferring the information and the knowledge. You have to be sensitive to what’s going on in students' lives and you have to be encouraging," he says. "But I emphasize working hard. There’s no way to do well except by working hard."
