Fowler’s Director of Graduate Programs Aspires to Expand Educational Opportunities for Others

By Suzanne Finch

Entrepreneurship expert. 

Director of graduate programs for the Fowler College of Business. 

Management professor. 

Former management consultant. 

Wife, daughter, and mother. 

All of these descriptions and more apply to Congcong Zheng who came to San Diego State University as a management professor shortly after earning her Ph.D. in 2005. She chose to come to the Fowler College of Business after considering other offers in Singapore and Ottawa, Canada.

Congcong Zheng

Inspired by Her Mother
Zheng, a native of Tangshan in Northern China worked at BDA China Limited as a management consultant after earning her bachelor’s degree at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing. However, she was increasingly drawn to a career in academia, which prompted her to quit her job and move to England where she studied entrepreneurship and business strategy at the London Business School. “I was inspired to study entrepreneurship by my mother,” said Zheng. “In the late 1980’s, when China first started evolving into a market economy, my mother quit her stable job in a state-owned enterprise to start her own company. She became a distributor of grain products to local fisheries, which was something completely new and novel for her. I admired her courage for leaving a secure job to venture into, what was then, uncharted business territory.”

A Leader in Entrepreneurship Education
Since coming to SDSU’s management department, Zheng has established herself as an expert in entrepreneurship, further solidifying SDSU’s role as an academic leader in the field. “I am proud of the entrepreneurship programs we have built at SDSU,” said Zheng. “The management department offers a cutting-edge curriculum that forms the backbone for many of the university’s entrepreneurship programs.”   

It is her belief in the power of education that has led Zheng to take on the role of director of graduate programs at the Fowler College of Business in 2021. “My own life has changed because of the schools I’ve attended and the opportunities my education has opened up for me,” she said. “I’ve taken on this role because I would like to open those opportunities for others. My goals as the director of Fowler’s graduate programs include increasing our graduate enrollment; improving career opportunities, especially in the areas of consulting and technology; and expanding engagement with the local business community through events and executive education programs.”

“Be Responsible for the Choices You Make”
As for those students who aspire to earn a graduate degree from SDSU’s Fowler College of Business, Zheng offers these words of advice: “Life is a long-term game, so be proactive and take charge of your own destiny. Most things require long-term efforts to realize. Also, listen to the advice of others, but remember that you alone are responsible for the choices you make in life.”