The BYU-Hawaii School of Business recently honored hospitality and tourism professor Bill Hsu as its faculty member of the year and Elder John Simcox, the school's former volunteer entrepreneur in residence, for his outstanding service.
"Each year for our June graduation we announce a faculty member of the year," explained Dr. Brent Wilson, Dean of the School of Business. "At the beginning of each Winter Semester our faculty put together a report on all of the activities they've been involved with during the past year, including committee assignments, papers they may have presented and published; and for the classes they've taught, we also have them include their teaching evaluations."
"All of these are used when I meet with faculty for performance reviews and talking about their goals for the coming year," he continued. "We then take that same information, pull out any confidential details, and send the data around to every other faculty member so they can see what everyone's doing. They vote on the most outstanding faculty member, and we announce that at our graduation dinner.
"This year's winner was Bill Hsu," he said, noting that Hsu, an alumnus of BYU-Hawaii, will leave Laie right after graduation to begin serving as president of the Kaoshiung Taiwan Mission.
Dean Wilson pointed out the other faculty members "were particularly impressed with some of the things Hsu's done with his courses: For example, he takes his conventions management classes into town where they volunteer at actual conventions and gain hands-on experience. As part of their class assignment, he also gets them out of the classroom and engaged in the community."
"He spends countless hours outside the classroom working with students, and I frequently see him with students in his office, or out in front of the building talking with students," Wilson added.
"The more the students can have the opportunity to see what's happening outside, the better they do with their theory," Hsu responded. "I try in most of my physical facilities and convention management classes to get them out there and participating. It's a win-win-win situation for all three parties. For me, it's also gratifying to see the students network and have some real life experience."
Dean Wilson explained the school's service award goes to "someone who has provided significant experience in the community and to the school. This year we presented the award to John Simcox who has been here as a volunteer entrepreneur in residence. He and sister Simcox came for Fall and Winter Semesters."
"He started a jewelry business that turned into a 20-store chain in Colorado and Utah," Wilson continued, adding that Elder Simcox sold his business about 2000, and then the couple served a senior mission in Vladivostok, Russia.
"Shortly after returning from that mission, they came here. He was actively, and is still actively involved with the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Marriott School of Management in Provo, and was chairman of the board of the Entrepreneur Founders — a group of executives who donate money to support the school."
"One of the things he helped us do here was organize an entrepreneur founder's group at BYU-Hawaii. We're now up to seven founders, as a result of his efforts, and several of them have made significant donations," Wilson said.
"He took that on as his responsibility, and was very successful in helping us move that forward."