San Diego State Professor of Management and Information Systems Dr. James Beatty was presented with the 2011 SDSU Alumni Association award for outstanding faculty contribution in the College of Business Administration.
The award, commonly known as the Faculty Monty, is a well-respected award given annually to one faculty member in each of the seven colleges.
Beatty has been a professor in the College of Business Administration for the past 38 years. He currently teaches statistical analysis and Six Sigma business management strategy.
Besides his recent Monty Award, he has received the Outstanding Overall Faculty Award in 2000, has been named Outstanding Faculty Member for the Executive Master of Business Administration program four times and has been nominated multiple times for the U.S. Professor of the Year award sponsored by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
“I feel a great deal of excitement and pleasure to be honored with such a prestigious award. It is always nice to be recognized,” Beatty said.
Apart from being a professor at SDSU, Beatty is also known for his work with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. The award is America’s highest honor and the only formal recognition of quality achievements of both private and public organizations given by the president of the United States.
Beatty has served on the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program’s Board of Examiners eight times and has been ranked senior examiner as well as coach and mentor for new Baldrige examiners.
Because of his work with the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, Beatty has had the opportunity to evaluate organizations firsthand and has even met former-U.S. President George W. Bush and former-U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, among others, while doing so. He has also led numerous organizations through Baldrige self-assessment.
Beatty has devoted a great deal of his time to work with the June Burnett Institute for Family and Children and currently serves on the board. The institute is a privately funded organization based out of SDSU.
“I have always found it important to give back to the community. The opportunity to work with people is something I take great pride in,” Beatty said.
Beatty hopes to provide a strong foundation for his students to help them grow and become successful after their time in college. A professor who proudly proclaims he truly loves his job, he hopes to teach and motivate his students to look past the dollar amount earnings of a career and encourages them to find something they will also truly love doing.
One of his favorite things about teaching is staying in touch with his students after they graduate and hearing of their success. He often reminds his students to “remain true to yourselves and always keep in mind what you can do.”
