By Daisy Ratzlaff
For Ekin Pehlivan teaching is more than just a profession. As a Professor of Marketing in the Martin V. Smith School of Business & Economics, Pehlivan has dedicated two decades, 10 of them at 华体会, to teaching her students through real-world challenges while championing the transformative power of education. Recently recognized with the prestigious President鈥檚 Teaching and Innovation Award in 2022, she has now been appointed as the 2024-25 President鈥檚 Faculty Fellow.
After completing her master鈥檚 degree in Turkey, she attained her doctoral degree from Bentley University in Waltham, Massachusetts, where she thrived as part of the first doctoral cohort.
鈥淚 was able to work with a lot of amazing people. I loved every minute of it,鈥 Pehlivan said. 鈥淚 know a lot of people don鈥檛 talk about their Ph.D. that way. If I had the chance to do it again, I would.鈥
Her academic journey took her to various positions, including adjunct roles at Bentley University and Brandeis University's Heller School of Social Policy and Management. In 2012, she moved to California with her husband, who had accepted a position at Chapman University in Orange County. Through a doctoral friend, she learned about an opening for a marketing professor at 华体会.
She recalls the lasting impression left on her after interviewing with President Emeritus Richard Rush.
鈥淗e was one of the first people that I met, and after he spoke about this University, I thought, 鈥業 want to be here.鈥 I remember calling my husband and telling him 鈥楾his doesn鈥檛 feel just like a job; what I do could matter here.鈥欌
Ekin Pehlivan accepts the appointment as the President's Faculty Fellow.
Pehlivan joined 华体会 in the Fall of 2014, and her husband became a marketing professor at the University three years later. In response to the business closures during the COVID-19 pandemic, she took a sabbatical year to work on establishing CI Solutions through the support of 华体会鈥檚 Entrepreneurship & Small Business Institute, and to support the efforts of the Writing & Multiliteracy Center to create the first-ever Plot-a-Thon 鈥 which is an interdisciplinary, team-based competition that celebrates student learning in data analysis, visualization, and storytelling through a series of Fall training workshops culminating in a two-day data visualization hackathon in the Spring.
鈥淚 am one of those people who likes to experiment and try new things, and I don鈥檛 think I would have received this kind of support anywhere else. This is a special place for that.鈥 鈥擡kin Pehlivan
CI Solutions is a student-run marketing agency that provides students with real-world experience while helping small businesses and non-profits with their business needs. Since May 2020, CI Solutions has empowered nearly 40 graduates, now thriving in the workforce and continues to involve 18 current students on 12 active projects.
鈥淭he University has been incredibly supportive of my projects focused on increasing post-graduate outcomes of our students. I am one of those people who likes to experiment and try new things, and I don鈥檛 think I would have received this kind of support anywhere else. This is a special place for that,鈥 she said.
Ekin Pehlivan helps a student with a shoot.
As part of her role as the President鈥檚 Faculty Fellow, Pehlivan will work on developing a student recruitment marketing plan aimed at increasing awareness of the University鈥檚 offerings, understanding that CSU Channel Islands is often regarded as the 鈥渂est-kept secret of the CSU system.鈥
鈥淲e need to let people know about the amazing things we do,鈥 she explained.
This year鈥檚 student recruitment marketing plan, planned and coordinated by CI Solutions students, involves ads across seven different digital channels, focusing on testing various messages under three main themes: campus life, a smart investment, and post-graduate outcomes.
鈥淭he idea is to build a flexible, repeatable and sustainable student recruitment marketing plan including other types of outreach methods, like email, and text messaging as well as digital ads,鈥 she said.
Pehlivan's passion extends beyond teaching and mentoring.
Pehlivan鈥檚 passion extends beyond teaching and mentoring; she recently achieved a significant personal milestone by obtaining her U.S. citizenship.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a big deal for me,鈥 she shared, describing the emotional moment of sharing the news with her campus community. 鈥淭his is my community. My friends are from this campus. My students are my community.鈥
Her dedication to education and her students has not gone unnoticed; she has received multiple legacy awards after being nominated by her students.
鈥淭o be honored by your students just feels different,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey don鈥檛 have to acknowledge you after graduation, if they don鈥檛 want to; yet they choose to recognize your impact. That means everything to me.鈥