A Historic Milestone: University of La Verne’s Inaugural DBA Hooding Ceremony Celebrates Academic Excellence
On a beautiful spring day in Southern California, nine exceptional scholars reached the pinnacle of academic achievement, marking not just personal triumph but a historic moment for the University of La Verne. The inaugural Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) Hooding Ceremony on May 31, 2025, represented far more than a traditional graduation—it was a celebration of scholarly dedication, international collaboration, and the timeless traditions that connect modern academia to its medieval roots.
The DBA
The University of La Verne welcomed its first DBA cohort three years ago. The Doctor of Business Administration represents a unique approach to doctoral education, specifically designed for experienced business professionals who seek to blend rigorous academic research with practical application. Unlike a traditional PhD, which prepares graduates for academic careers, the DBA is a professional doctorate. DBA candidates are usually seasoned executives and business leaders with substantial real-world experience.
A great beginning
The DBA program at the University of La Verne has achieved remarkable recognition in its brief existence. The program recently ranked third nationally in Forbes Advisor’s list of the Best Online DBA Degrees of 2024, an honor that arrived just as the first cohort prepared for graduation. This recognition speaks to the program’s innovative design, which combines online and on-campus instruction to serve working executives seeking to advance their careers in upper management, consulting, research, or academia. Led by Program Director Dr. Zhen Zhang, the three-year program integrates applied research with practical skills, fostering critical thinking, holistic problem-solving, and interdisciplinary knowledge.
The hooding ceremony
The hooding ceremony has roots stretching back to the medieval universities of 11th and 12th century Europe. Originally, hooded robes served practical purposes—providing warmth in the unheated stone buildings where scholars studied and worked. These garments were initially the dress of clerics, as most medieval scholars had taken religious orders. Originally part of a monk’s habit used as a carryall for food and small items, the academic hood, eventually became a separate garment. Today’s hoods communicate the wearer’s school, degree, and field of study through their distinctive colors and design. (Fun fact: the official color of the field of business is “Drab.”) The hooding ceremony itself is a symbolic gesture that represents the culmination of scholarly and personal achievement. The academic hood is placed over a student’s head by a mentor or senior scholar, marking their transition from learner to contributor in their field.
A Global Celebration of Excellence
Among the nine graduates representing both domestic and bilingual tracks, two individuals from the bilingual track traveled from China with their families to participate. The DBA’s bilingual track is the result of a collaboration between the University of La Verne and Tsinghua Holdings Zhidao Education (Beijing), a partnership that extends quality American business education to senior executives in China. Rather than following the traditional format where only faculty members hood graduates, each DBA recipient was jointly hooded by both their dissertation chair and a family member. This recognized not only the academic mentorship provided by faculty but also the vital emotional and practical support provided by loved ones throughout the demanding doctoral journey.
The graduates
Dr. Ehsan Danesh | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Adham Chehab
Dr. Brian Hilpert | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Teresa Martinelli
Dr. Maxwell Lineberger | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Issam Ghazzawi
Dr. Michael Moa | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Fengmei Gong
Dr. Ping Yi | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Issam Ghazzawi
Dr. Weiquan Zou | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Zhen Zhang
Dr. Xiaodong Xu | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Jeanny Liu
Dr. Guofei Wang | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Teresa Martinelli
Dr. Chungeng Cao | Dissertation Chair: Dr. Fengmei Gong
The ceremony attendees—including College of Business leaders, faculty and staff, the University’s Associate Provost, and more than forty family members and friends—witnessed not just individual achievements but the birth of a new tradition. These graduates now join the ranks of scholar-practitioners equipped to lead with insight and purpose, carrying forward the University of La Verne’s mission while contributing to the advancement of business knowledge and practice.
