SFBU's Dean of Engineering - Dr. Thawi Iwagoshi

Dr. Thawi's profile with SFBU Logo
Dr. Thawi Iwagoshi
Dean, School of Engineering

 

Dr. Iwagoshi is the Dean of the School of Engineering at SFBU. His interest in computer programming started during high school when he learned to write programs that ran on an Apple II machine at a friend’s house. He came to the United States at the age of 15 to pursue undergraduate study in Engineering at The Ohio State University, where he later received a full scholarship and stipend to continue with graduate studies until he completed his research work and earned a Ph.D.

 

With a dream of working in the high-tech industry, he packed up his belongings and drove from Ohio to California to explore opportunities in the Silicon Valley. At that time, he had the chance to meet with Dr. George Hsieh, the former president of SFBU, and discuss the advantages of combining his engineering research background with computer science knowledge. Following Dr. Hsieh’s advice, he joined the MSCS program to further advance his programming skills, and he was later asked to teach courses at SFBU.

 

Dr. Iwagoshi began his career as a software engineer at Hewlett Packard. He later joined a startup company as a partner to build a framework that helped businesses convert paper documents and manual office processes into an automated workflow management system with digital records. In May 2014, Dr. Iwagoshi returned to teach computer science courses at SFBU. He enjoys sharing knowledge and experience with students to help them learn both the theoretical and practical aspects of the subjects./p>

 

He is a strong supporter of SFBU's mission to “provide quality higher education to help individuals of diverse backgrounds, interests, and skills achieve their full academic and career potential.” For him, the best part about working at SFBU is that he has the opportunity to give back what he has gained and have a positive influence on young people as they begin the journey into their professional lives.

 

Dr. Iwagoshi shifted his role from adjunct faculty to Dean in January 2017. He feels that his combined experience as a faculty member, entrepreneur, leader, engineer, researcher, and student helps him do the job well.

 

He shares, “I take pride in my ability to quickly earn the respect, trust, and friendship from the people I meet or work with. Integrity, sincerity, a strong work ethic, and perseverance are important values to practice and live by. The knowledge and technical skills learned in the classroom will change as a person changes career or retires from work; however, our people skills and character will continue to be valuable for the rest of our lives.”

 

His vision is to see SFBU be recognized as a top-tier university that provides strong computer science and engineering programs in which faculty and students make major impacts in their professional fields.

 

ADVICES TO STUDENTS:

"True greatness is not measured by how high you can reach in the organization or the amount of wealth you amass, but by how much respect and admiration you earn from the people around you. Thus, in your quest for a successful career, remember to develop a reputable character and be a person that you and your family are proud of."