Beheshtian brings insight, perspective

by Monique Jimenez
Staff Writer

There's a new face on the University of La Verne campus and in the School of Business and Global Studies: Associate Professor of Business Administration Mehdi Beheshtian.

An instructor with 25 years of teaching experience, Beheshtian said his knowledge of his field comes from a combination of research, study and hands-on experience.

"I am interested in doing research because it helps me in being a better teacher as well as staying up to date in current issues," Beheshtian said.

As a professor and a professional, Beheshtian has gone above and beyond the usual. Beheshtian has operated his own international consulting firm, which focused on information technology.

The company, he said, trained top management in ISO 9000, a methodology program used by most companies.

Born and raised in Iran, Beheshtian came to the United States in 1973.

He attended the University of Texas in Austin, where he received his doctorate and eventually joined the faculty.

Beheshtian has also taught at the University of Missouri and Loyola University in Chicago.

"I enjoy the attention to the students that private universities give, as well as the sense of helping all the students and being available to them and resources," Beheshtian said.

Teaching and working with students is something Beheshtian has always wanted to do, he said.

He enjoys the hands-on experience and the family atmosphere at ULV, he said.

"We are like a family here at ULV, which is very important," Beheshtian said.

Beheshtian said he hopes to contribute to the La Verne community as well as in the classroom.

In fact, the Iranian professor may offer valuable insight to help community members make sense of the current situation in the Middle East.

Every year Beheshtian and his family take a trip back to Iran.

In 1990 he went to Iran to teach at Tehran Polytechnic in Tehran and served as director of the research center at the Center for Productivity Research, another productive experience for his teaching career.

At ULV he said he is getting all the support and resources he needs to continue his research.

"My time so far at ULV has been very interesting and informative," he said.

Beheshtian, along with others at the School of Business and Global Studies, are in the process of creating a research center, not only for the students and professors, but for giving service to the community as well.

A colleague of Beheshtian and professor of the School of Business and Global Studies, Mohsen Modarres, believes that Beheshtian's academic background is impressive.

"Dr. Mehdi Beheshtian has been a great addition to our faculty, and I believe that our graduate and undergraduate students would greatly benefit from Dr. Beheshtian's academic background and professional experience," Modarres said.