Lam Family College of Business

College Vision

We aspire to be one of the best public urban business schools by applying sustainability and ethical perspectives to our understanding of business practice, global leadership, innovation, the economy, and society.

College Mission

We are San Francisco’s public business school.  We embrace the area’s rich diversity and provide access to higher education. Our mission is to prepare students for professional success through high-quality teaching, innovative and relevant courses, discipline-based and pedagogical scholarship, and engagement with the academic and business communities.

The Lam Family College of Business offers undergraduate, graduate, and executive business education, providing a broad and exciting array of courses of study and concentrations.

The student body is diverse, reflecting not only the San Francisco area, but also the large number of international students who choose San Francisco State University’s Lam Family College of Business. In 2004, the College awarded more undergraduate business degrees to Asian Americans than any other institution in the United States. As feminist Gloria Steinem once said: “Go to San Francisco State. It’s the only campus that looks like the world.”

The Lam Family College of Business at San Francisco State is among the less than 25% of business schools in the US and 15% of international schools that are fully accredited by AACSB International, The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.

The Lam Family College of Business is constantly evolving.  It continues to invest in the quality of faculty, students, and the visibility of the College brand.  Cultivating strong industry connections and advancing its friend-raising and fundraising efforts keep the College active and relevant in the business community and allow the College to provide exclusive opportunities for our students. 

Our Seven Strategic Priorities

  • Research Activity, Productivity, Orientation, and Approaches
  • Curricular Innovation
  • Diversity and Inclusion
  • Student Obsession – doing the maximum possible for our students
  • Build the Lam Family College of Business Brand
  • Community Focus
  • Fundraising and Friend-raising

Core Values

The Lam Family College of Business’s overarching direction is guided by the five core values of San Francisco State University: courage, life of mind, equity, community, and resilience.

At the operational level, the core values guiding the Lam Family College of Business decision-making and behavior are:

Facilitating Access

Building on a tradition of offering broad access to diverse students—both traditional students and working adults—the Lam Family College of Business will offer classes morning, afternoon, and evening, on weekdays and weekends, on- and off-campus at affordable prices.

Intellectual Capital

The Lam Family College of Business strives to reinforce basic skills and substantive business knowledge that can be adapted and applied throughout our students' careers. We do so in a setting that promotes inquiry, respects differences, tolerates dissension, and encourages lifelong learning.

Engaged Learning Partnership

As a learning community involving faculty, staff, students, administrators, and business professionals, the Lam Family College of Business will work as a team in pursuit of learning, shared discovery, and intellectual inquiry, establishing active external partnerships with local and global communities.

Knowledge Creation & Dissemination

The Lam Family College of Business faculty is committed to the study, understanding, advancement, and diffusion of knowledge through research that improves global business practice. While the California State University focuses on applied research, the Lam Family College of Business encourages all forms of quality research.

Ethical and Professional Management

The Lam Family College of Business strives to manage our enterprise in an exemplary manner, respecting the principles of shared governance, effective leadership, and faculty/staff service.

San Francisco Mindset

The Lam Family College of Business celebrates the fact that our school reflects our community and the greater San Francisco community is among the most cosmopolitan, diverse, and tolerant in the world. Such a munificent environment offers opportunities for the Lam Family College of Business to focus on emerging technologies, global markets, and service industries.

Culture of Collaboration

In accordance with San Francisco State University's values, the Lam Family College of Business embraces innovation as it relates to delivering learning opportunities, providing core service and support, and engaging the community through collaborative interactions.

Commitment to Excellence

As part of the continuous improvement process, we build in processes to obtain feedback from all constituencies, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, employers, other universities, and business professionals.

Degrees Offered

All degree programs in the Lam Family College of Business are accredited by AACSB International (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business).

Bachelor of Arts

  • Economics 22041
  • Labor and Employment Studies 22993

Bachelor of Science

  • Business Administration with the following concentrations:
    • Accounting 05021
    • Decision Sciences 05071
    • Finance 05041
    • General Business 05011
    • Information Systems 07021
    • International Business 05131
    • Management 05061
    • Marketing 05091
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management 05081

Minor Programs:

  • Business Administration
  • Decision Sciences
  • Economics
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Hospitality and Tourism Management
  • Information Systems
  • International Business
  • Labor and Employment Studies
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • World Development Studies

Certificate Programs:

  • Graduate Certificate in Accounting
  • Graduate Certificate in Business Principles
  • Certificate in Conflict Resolution (offered jointly by the Colleges of Business, Ethnic Studies, Health and Social Sciences, and Liberal & Creative Arts)
  • Certificate in Cybersecurity Management
  • Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Cybersecurity
  • Graduate Certificate in Enterprise Information Systems
  • Graduate Certificate in Ethical Artificial Intelligence
  • Graduate Business Certificate in Ethics & Compliance
  • Graduate Certificate in Finance
  • Certificate in Hospitality Management
  • Certificate in Information Technology Auditing
  • Certificate in International Business
  • Graduate Certificate in International Business and Global Leadership
  • Graduate Certificate in Marketing in the Digital Economy
  • Graduate Certificate in Sustainable Business

Masters Programs

The various graduate programs offered by the Lam Family College of Business are accredited by the AACSB (Association for the Advancement of Collegiate Schools of Business).

  • Master of Business Administration 05011
  • Master of Science in Business Analytics 10031
  • Master of Science in Accountancy 05021
  • Master of Science in Quantitative Economics 22043

College Administrative Offices

Title Officer Office Telephone
Dean of the College Dr. Eugene Sivadas BUS 321 338-3650
Associate Dean Dr. Yim-Yu Wong BUS 321 338-3696
Assistant Dean Jeff Chun BUS 326 338-7097
Executive Director of Business Development and Marketing Sandra Henao DTC 1230 817-4321
Director of Fiscal Affairs and Operations Larry Low BUS 352 338-2666
Faculty Director of Graduate Business Programs Dr. Lutfus Sayeed DTC 1230 817-4366
Director of Graduate Admissions & Recruitment Manuel Maranan DTC 1230 817-4323
Graduate Business Student Advising Christopher Kingston DTC 1230 817-4322
Faculty Coordinator of Career Services and Professional Development Paul Glanting BUS 137 338-2500

College Directory

Department/Program Chair/Director Office Telephone
AccountingDr. Amy ChangCA 251338-1107
Decision SciencesDr. Theresa RoederBUS 203C338-1819
EconomicsDr. Anoshua ChaudhuriHSS 142338-2108
FinanceDr. Ming LiCA 251338-1754
Hospitality, Tourism and Event ManagementDr. Colin JohnsonCA 04338-6084
Information SystemsDr. Sameer VermaCA 254338-7016
International BusinessDr. Bruce HeimanCA 251405-0596
Labor and Employment StudiesDr. John LoganBUS 310338-2138
ManagementDr. Tom ThomasBUS 310338-2138
MarketingDr. Hui-Ming Deanna WangCA 251338-1107