The Office

Selected as the Associate Dean for the Office of Academic Equity in the College of Business and Public Administration, Dr. Francisca M. Beer has extensive administrative experience as Director, Assistant Dean, Associate Dean, and Interim Dean of Graduate Studies.

Dr. Beer is a Professor of Finance at California State University, San Bernardino. She holds a Ph.D. in Finance, a Graduate Degree in Computer Science, and a Master’s in Commercial Engineering. Her specialties include corporate finance, the structure of capital markets, and international finance. Her principal research interests are in behavioral finance, a research area that applies psychological theories to financial models.

She has an established list of more than 50 articles in books, monographs, and refereed journals. Her publications appear in journals such as The Financial Review, Review of Business Research, American Business Review, Journal of Emerging Markets, International Journal of Business Disciplines, and Global Financial Journal. In 2017, her contribution to research earned her the title of “Distinguished Research Fellowship”.

As the Associate Dean for the Office of Academic Equity (OAE), Francisca has developed several programs. She created the Trendsetters’ program and the Voice series both designed to support students’ success. She established the annual ShEconomy to empower women entrepreneurs. She developed events for faculty (Paves the Way) and for staff members (In Motion) of the college to foster positive work relationships.

Francisca was the founding Director of the Office of Student Research (OSR). In that capacity, Francisca has been instrumental at facilitating the engagement of students in scholarly and creative activities by providing resources that support both student scholars and faculty mentors. She created the OSR Summer Research Program, the OSR Peer Lab, and the OSR Peer Consultant programs. She also developed the campus-wide annual “Meeting of the Minds” Research Symposium to showcase students’ research and creative activities to the university and community of San Bernardino. Under her leadership, the OSR awarded more than 250 grants to students and faculty. In 2018, for the creation and implementation of the OSR, Francisca was awarded the “CSU Faculty Innovation and Leadership Award” which recognizes faculty’s implementation of innovative practices to improve student success.

During her tenure as Assistant, Associate, and Interim Dean in the Office of Graduate Studies, she balanced the office budget, administered grants, and produced the very first comprehensive graduate admissions and graduate studies report of activities. She was the Co-PI for the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship ($425,814 in 2018), the Co-PI for the National Science Foundation S-STEM grant ($5 million in 2017), and the Co-PI for the Chancellor Student Success Initiative Grant ($649,000 in 2014).

She was the recipient of the CSUSB “Faculty Mentor Award” representing the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration. For her contribution to the Women's Leadership Conference, she received the President’s Staff Award in 2018. She has received over 20 research grants with numerous awards for “superior research”. Francisca has also been recognized as “Faculty Advisor of the Year”, “Award for Excellence in Teaching” in the Department of Accounting and Finance, “Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Award” in the School of Business and Public Administration, and “Outstanding Professional Achievement, Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society” for the AACSB Accredited Business Programs. She is currently the President for the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society.

She has extensive practical experiences. She was the founder of Personalized Financial Resources and has served on both the Board of Cajon High School and the Board of the Inland Empire International Business Association. She was a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and was the Alternate Statewide Academic Senator.

A prolific and experienced speaker, Francisca has made professional presentations in the US, Thailand, China, Tunisia, Turkey, Poland, France, Greece, Mexico, and Amsterdam.