Emad Rahim

At the university level, project management courses tend to focus on the technical skills, said Emad Rahim, chair of the Project Management Center of Excellence and an associate professor and program director at Bellevue University. While the technical skills are important, “graduates end up lacking the necessary people skills that are needed to work effectively with their teams and clients. These graduates are proficient in developing and managing the project plan, but struggle in executing their strategy, communicating their vision, delegating responsibilities and working with clients directly.”

Rahim is the university dean for business and management at Colorado Technical University, but as a young man growing up on Syracuse’s West Side, he considered himself the “suspension king” of both Grant Middle School and Fowler High School. A very energetic young man with a keen eye for trouble, Rahim was repeatedly suspended before a school administrator changed his life with one simple question.

By sharing his story of resilience and over overcoming challenges to high schools and college students throughout the country, he wants to help inspire people everywhere to turn their tragedies into their triumphs. He was recently awarded a Fulbright to conduct research on entrepreneurship and business education in Indonesia at the Universitas Ciputra. And, he is currently touring the U.S., observing business owners, meeting with government officials, participating in panels, and conduct presentations and lecturers on campus. I asked Emad to share some of his work here today.

His life story could be a movie. Dr. Emad Rahim has overcome an unthinkable amount of turbulence and tragedy along with a significant learning disability. Today he’s a true success story thanks in large part to the role education played in his life. Rahim was born in Cambodia where his family was forced into concentration camps. While there, his father was executed and his older brother died of starvation before family members were able to flee to a refugee camp in Thailand. They were granted asylum and found a new home in Brooklyn but violence remained a constant in their lives. While walking down the street Rahim suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. “It was like going from war zone to war zone.

Former OCC student Dr. Emad Rahim will be recognized in April by a national education association, the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Rahim will receive the 2017 Outstanding Alumni Award at the AACC’s National Convention in New Orleans, LA. Rahim is one of only five honorees nationwide this year.