Cheng, who\nreceived her Ph.D. in business management from the Philadelphia university in\n1988, came to Northern Arizona University five years ago with a goal of making\na college education accessible and affordable for any student who wanted to\nreceive one. She cited her early experiences\u2014being the first in her family of\nWisconsin dairy farmers to go to college, going to five institutions in seven\nyears to earn her bachelor\u2019s degree, raising toddlers while balancing her\ndoctoral work\u2014as her motivation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Temple was founded on the idea of raising\na community by making quality education affordable for everyone,” said\nRonald Anderson, interim dean of the Fox School of Business and School of\nSport, Tourism and Hospitality Management. “Dr. Rita Hartung Cheng is a\nshining example of someone striving to meet that ideal through her tireless\nwork to elevate the lives of thousands of students at Northern Arizona\nUniversity. We are proud that she has been a part of our first 100 years, and\nwe believe her impact will be felt for many years to come.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In her 30-year\ncareer as an educator and administrator, she has seen those opportunities get\nincreasingly expensive, pricing many potential students out of an education or\nsaddling them with crippling debt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cheng, who has\nspoken frequently with the governor, state legislators and other elected\nofficials about the importance of investing in higher education, worries the\nfinancial burden of tuition and fees keeps some would-be students away from\ncollege, especially first-generation and other underrepresented groups. As a\nnontraditional and first-generation student, she understands the need to make\nhigher education accessible to all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI wanted to\ndevote my career to higher education because it transformed my life, and I see\nhow it changes lives every day\u2014not just for the students but for their\nfamilies,\u201d she said. \u201cI am grateful for the opportunity I had to pursue an\neducation and all who supported me along the way and am privileged to be\nworking hard to give others the same opportunity. I am especially grateful for\nthe faculty at the Fox School of Business and the support, encouragement and\nmentorship they provided. I am humbled to be counted among this group of\nleaders.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During her\ntenure at NAU, Cheng has overseen the expansion of NAU\u2019s international\ncollaboration and notable increase in research funding and output; in 2018, the\nNational Science Foundation ranked NAU at No. 96 in national research rankings\nfor universities without a medical school, and grants, patent applications and\npublications have increased as administrators made a concerted effort to\nidentify and recruit top researchers from throughout the world. The university\nhas seen substantial growth as well, with the creation of the Honors College\nand the College of Engineering, Informatics, and Applied Sciences and the\nintroduction of more than 10 new degree programs across all fields, including four\nnew doctoral programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cheng was one of\n25 honorees for the Phoenix Business Journal\u2019s Outstanding Women in Business\nlist. She recently was one of five higher education leaders appointed as\ncommissioner to the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education and in\n2018, the Arizona Capitol Times named Cheng leader of the year in the education\ncategory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advice Cheng\noffers now is the same advice she was once given when she was working full-time\nat the University of Minnesota. A supervisor pulled her aside and told her,\n\u201cMake sure you finish your degree.\u201d He also mentioned that she should consider\na career as an actuary or accountant; she didn\u2019t know what either of those jobs\ndid. But, she said, that moment was pivotal; she finished her degree in\naccounting and then finished two more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cheng and the\nother honorees, which include renowned medical doctors, business executives,\nthe chief information officer for Facebook, university board members and\nentrepreneurs were recognized at a ceremony Thursday at Temple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/in.nau.edu\/news\/wordpresst\/uploads\/sites\/153\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/news-FOX-190425-Top-100-Centennial_V8A0559-600x400.jpg\")
Photo credit: Lou Caltabiano <\/em>
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<\/figure>Carly Banks | NAU Communications <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
(928) 523-5582 | carly.banks@nau.edu<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n