“The greatest gift from TWU is how I see myself and how God’s blessing comes to me, and from me to other people....I think of myself being in this position as ultimately to encourage others.”
— Dr. Chen Liu, Director of MBA Programs
Voted by TWU business students as Professor of the Year three years in a row, Dr. Chen Liu is now getting ready to welcome TWU’s first cohort of Executive MBA students, who will launch into their flexible weekend and evening classes in September 2021. An accomplished academic and a proven leader, Dr. Liu became TWU’s Director of MBA Programs in 2020. Here, she reflects on her journey to leadership and her tips for future leaders.
This fall, Trinity Western University welcomes its inaugural cohort of Executive MBA students. They will be among the first to study within a newly opened Robert G. Kuhn building, a four-storey state-of-the-art facility for learning business, leadership and global engagement. Earlier this year, Trinity Western also renewed its international partnership to offer the Great Wall MBA program in China. The program, which has been running since 2013, provides TWU MBA courses to students studying globally in Tianjin, Shanghai, and Beijing – in addition to at TWU’s campuses in Langley and Richmond, B.C.
At the crux of all these exciting developments is TWU’s Director of MBA Programs, Dr. Chen Liu.
Leaders build other leaders up
What may be surprising, is that Dr. Liu did not initially set out with plans to pursue leadership roles within higher education.
As a scholar and academic, Dr. Liu was trained at both McGill and Queen’s universities, and achieved her Ph.D. in Finance from Queen’s Smith School of Business.
“I knew how to be a teacher but not a leader,” she said of her scholarly background. “So I watched how other people functioned as leaders.”
One thing Dr. Liu observed is that leaders invest in those around them. “It’s really important that you don’t build a name for yourself,” she said. “You build other people.”
She now sees leadership as “working to advance others.”
“It’s really important that you don’t build a name for yourself. You build other people... (Leadership is) working to advance others.”
Changing lives through education
During the final year of her Ph.D. research at Queen’s, Dr. Liu began her search for teaching positions across Canada. She imagined that she would pursue a narrow path in academia, not dreaming that she might venture beyond research and teaching.
Through a friend’s recommendation, Dr. Liu put in an application for TWU. It became a turning point for her.
“If I were not here (at TWU), I would be purely a scholar,” she said. “I wouldn’t be who I am today.”
“Coming to TWU has really broadened my horizons.... God really opened my eyes to see what I can do, and used other people to encourage me.”
Although TWU was just one school among the hundreds that Dr. Liu applied to, TWU’s application process was unique. Firstly, it asked applicants to describe their faith journey. Secondly, TWU was interested in more than scholarly skills.
Dr. Liu recalled how, during her initial interview with TWU, she met Provost Dr. Bob Wood, who said, “When you spend time with people you change people’s lives. That is more meaningful than the research you do.”
These words inspired Dr. Liu and illustrated for her the difference of TWU.
The TWU difference
After the meeting with the Provost, Dr. Liu also met with two recent business graduates, both of whom spoke highly of their TWU experiences. The opportunity to connect with alumni and to hear about their university journeys made a lasting impression on Dr. Liu.
Dr. Liu began to see how TWU valued education within relationship, and this distinctive ultimately became part of what attracted her to the university.
For Dr. Liu, taking a step to join TWU meant stepping beyond her scholarly comfort zone. She wondered about her readiness to fulfill TWU’s focus on faculty-student mentorship and high engagement with students.
She observed how other TWU professors seemed to connect personally and know every student’s name, and she initially thought, “Wow, that’s impossible for me. That’s not how I was trained. I was trained to do research and to teach.”
“Trinity is different,” she said.
“I know I have the skill to teach, the skill to do research. I didn’t know if I have the skill to take care of people,” she said, of her earliest concerns. “It’s very challenging.”
However, Dr. Liu soon excelled far beyond her own doubts. After joining TWU in 2014, she was voted by TWU business students as Professor of the Year three years in a row in 2016, 2017 and 2018.
“When I talk to female MBA students, sometimes they say, ‘because you are female, and you are in this leadership position, we feel, we have a chance in this Canadian culture. Look at what you achieved. We also have a chance here.’”
In addition to earning accolades for her classroom teaching, Dr. Liu partnered with business students to create and oversee a TWU Student Managed Investment Fund (TWU SMIF), a real-world investment venture that provides hands-on training and experience in equity valuation and portfolio management.
Reflecting on her teaching style, Dr. Liu said, “I’m still an introvert. I love the classroom, I love to teach, but every time I start a new class, I am nervous. But I enjoy it very, very much.”
Outside of teaching, mentoring students, and developing TWU’s business programs, Dr. Liu is a faculty researcher at TWU’s Center for Global Entrepreneurship. She writes and publishes regularly in academic journals, and she also serves on the editorial boards of Small Business Economics: An Entrepreneurship Journal and the Journal of British Blockchain Association. In addition, she provides cloud computing and blockchain consulting and advice for Vancouver’s business, technology, education, and healthcare sectors.
In terms of administrative leadership, Dr. Liu has served on TWU’s Tenure and Promotion Committee, International Student Task Force, University Senate’s Graduate Academic Council, and the Canada Research Chair Steering Committee.
In November 2020, Dr. Liu was promoted to Director of MBA Programs, after serving two years as Associate Director of MBA Programs. She now oversees TWU’s Executive MBA program, which welcomes its inaugural cohort in September 2021.
Expanding horizons in leadership and education
“Coming to TWU has really broadened my horizons on what I can do,” said Dr. Liu, who once imagined that she would spend all her career within scholarly research and teaching. “God really opened my eyes to see what I can do, and used other people to encourage me.”
Among those who encouraged and supported Dr. Liu to step into leadership was Dr. Mark Lee, Professor of Business, and Dr. Kevin Sawatsky, Dean of the School of Business.
“They really built me as a leader,” said Dr. Liu, “It’s not because I help them ‘tick the boxes.’” She said, referring to her representation as a female leader. “What’s really important is that they see me the way God sees me.”
“The greatest gift from TWU is how I see myself and how God’s blessing comes to me, and from me to other people. I think that’s important.”
“They really built me as a leader. It’s not because I help them ‘tick the boxes.’ What’s really important is that they see me the way God sees me.”
Inspiring others to reach high
At TWU, Dr. Liu appreciates having the opportunity to inspire future leaders. “I think of myself being in this position as ultimately to encourage others,” she said.
As someone who represents a minority demographic, Dr. Liu is aware of the role modeling she provides for others. She hopes that minority students can feel that they too “have a place in this campus and in this country.”
“When I talk to female MBA students, sometimes they say, ‘because you are female, and you are in this leadership position, we feel, we have a chance in this Canadian culture. Look at what you achieved. We also have a chance here.’”
“I like to see that,” she said. “It’s pretty cool to let people know there is hope. There is hope that you can be in this position.”
After stepping into her leadership role with the MBA programs, Dr. Liu has had the joy of seeing it grow. “Of course they are frustrations,” she said. “But it’s really about building people, whether it’s the MBA faculty and staff, or students.”
Dr. Liu also feels it’s important to support her faculty and staff, so that they can better support the students. “It’s really important for students to know that they are being cared for here at Trinity,” she said. At the same time, student care is balanced with a high standard of educational quality. When it comes to students’ academic performance, Dr. Liu said, “We have a very strict requirement for them.”
“Of course they are frustrations. But it’s really about building people, whether it’s the MBA faculty and staff, or students. ...It’s really important for students to know that they are being cared for here at Trinity.”
The life-changing impact of mentorship
As a former international student, Dr. Liu understands the difference that professors’ care and attention can make.
She herself was born in northern China and raised in a military family. Both of her grandfathers were military doctors. She grew up within her childhood context without religious beliefs, adhering to “no God at all,” as she described. She attended university in Beijing before transferring to Canada, studying at McGill University and later at Queen’s University for her Ph.D.
It was during her studies in Canada that Dr. Liu was introduced to the Christian faith. Through a regular bible study and meal gathering for international students, she received support from Christian friends and professors. She recalls that their lives of generosity made a positive impression on her. Gradually, she came to understand and embrace Christianity.
With her newfound faith, along with the completion of her Ph.D. work, Dr. Liu had asked God, “What is the path for me?” While prayerfully seeking, she was inspired by the story of Jesus’ conversation with Peter (John 21), in which Jesus asks Peter to take care of the sheep. This calling became Dr. Liu’s own life calling to invest in others.
"Don’t think yourself too young. There’s a reason that people ask you. It’s important that you are confident; so don’t say no too easily. Don’t think you’re not experienced enough. God can do amazing things in your life.”
Tips for professional mentorship and sponsorship
Since joining TWU seven years ago, Dr. Liu has pursued her calling to advance others. Just as she has received help and encouragement from others, she herself has sponsored many up-and-coming leaders.
Here are Dr. Liu’s best tips for sponsors and mentees:
1. Take care of yourself
For people who want to sponsor others, it’s really important that you don’t drain yourself, that you don’t burn out, Dr. Liu reminded. “People who want to sponsor others are really warm-hearted. They love to take care of others,” she said. “But I think it’s really important that you take care of yourself first. You need to have a strong tie with Jesus, the source of love—everything, (including) wisdom—first, and then (start) to sponsor people.”
2. Know the calling
Dr. Liu shares about the balance between teaching and mentoring others, and focusing on her research. “I spend a lot of time with the MBA program, so I don’t spend as much time with research. Not that I’m not interested in my research, but I know that this calling, this role is more important.”
Noting the benefit of her choice, she said, “My whole team can grow. My time is better spent building my team than building my own little research,” she said. Yet, she reminded, “Know the calling. Not everyone is called to be a sponsor to others.”
For young people who are seeking mentorship, Dr. Liu advises:
1. Trust your mentor
Dr. Liu notes the importance of trust in a mentoring relationship. “If this is the person that God put in your life, don’t fake being strong all the time,” she said. “Share your weakness so that your mentor can pray for you; so they can share their personal life (experiences) with you.”
2. Be confident
She further reminds young people to take wise risks. “Whenever anyone asks you to take on any position, don’t just say no. Don’t think yourself too young,” she said.
“There’s a reason that people ask you. It’s important that you are confident; so don’t say no too easily. Don’t think you’re not experienced enough. God can do amazing things in your life.”
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is Canada’s premier Christian liberal arts university dedicated to equipping students to establish meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. It is a fully accredited research institution offering liberal arts and sciences, as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four campuses and locations: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. TWU emphasizes academic excellence, research, and student engagement in a vital faith community committed to forming leaders to have a transformational impact on culture. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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