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Catherine Lopez-Gonzalez, Ph.D.

Catherine Lopez-Gonzalez, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Business; Program Director, Business Management Fast Track
E-mail: cgonzalez4@ccsj.edu
Brief info

B.S. Organizational Management, Calumet College of St. Joseph, Whiting, Indiana
Masters of Business Administration, Indiana Wesleyan University, Marion, Indiana
Doctoral in Business and Technology, Capella University, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Graduation with Distinction

Dr. Lopez-Gonzalez has been teaching in higher education for the past five years. She teaches business courses at the Masters and Undergraduate levels. Prior to teaching in higher education, Dr. Lopez-Gonzalez worked in the financial industry for 25 years. She managed several departments such as the Small Business division, Retail Lending division, Research and Development division and Audit and Compliance.

Dr. Lopez-Gonzalez is currently an advisor for the Business Professionals of America, Porter County division, participated on various committees (Multi-Cultural, Service Leadership and Strategic Planning); is currently a member of the academy of management and in 2005, Indiana Wesleyan University recognized Dr. Lopez-Gonzalez with the Outstanding Leadership Professional award.

Teaching Philosophy:

The teachers I have had who stand out in my memory have some attributes in common: they presented their subjects in a way that caught my interest, clarified difficult topics and led me through complex areas, and put knowledge into context so that its relevance was apparent. These role models have influenced my approach to teaching: I view myself primarily as a facilitator of learning, rather than as an expert who simply delivers information to students. Feedback from students has been vital to the process of growth I have undergone since I began teaching: I learned from them, for example, the pacing of lectures, and effective ways to help them learn in small group discussions.

Personal contact with students is essential to my approach. Many need encouragement to talk to their teachers, so I emphasize my availability for informal discussion and my willingness to help them sort out any problems they have with what they are learning. My experience as a teacher is greatly enriched by this contact with students. I am fortunate to teach in a professional school where I can follow the progress of the students through the program and sometimes beyond graduation.

As I gained experience and confidence as a teacher, I came to regard teaching as my primary professional responsibility. I have been employed in the Financial Industry for over 25 years. I understand the true meaning of management and what it the process involved in creating a successful company. I also understand struggles that each individual employee experiences each and every day.

My students learn the business aspect through a variety of ways, textbook, group discussions, experiential learning, individual and group projects.

Courses Taught

Undergraduate level:

  • Small Business Management/Entrepreneurship
  • Principles of Banking
  • Executive Strategy & Decision Making
  • Organizational Behavior
  • Human Resource Management
  • Business Statistics
  • Management Information System

Graduate level:

  • Organizational Behavior
  • Financial Management
  • Statistics
  • Strategic Management