Dirk Buengel

“A beacon of leadership, vision, and professionalism since he joined Virginia Tech,” said his nominator, “Dirk Buengel has brought not just the words of civility and diversity, equity, belonging, and inclusion into Pamplin College of Business – but awareness and action.

“His warm interactions with students, faculty, and staff, combined with his willingness to go above and beyond, help everyone around him make them feel like they belong.”

“Dirk’s actions ensure a welcoming, affirming, safe, and accessible campus climate. His cultural humility ensures everyone is treated with respect and dignity, showing his commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging beyond typical expectations in teaching, research, and service.”

Dirk serves as chair of the management department’s Student Recruitment, Retention, Engagement and Success Committee. Since taking that role in fall 2019, Dirk has ensured the committee focused on not just meeting university and college goals, but dramatically exceeding them.

During his leadership, the department’s enrollment of underrepresented and underserved students has increased by over 60%.

“Because of Dirk,” said his nominator, “my sense of belonging and ‘just being me’ is getting stronger and stronger each day.”

As Associate Professor of Practice, Dirk said he joined the management department in Pamplin College of Business after 30 years in the corporate world “to give back to students and contribute to developing the next generation of great business leaders.”

“I am proud of students providing feedback that I made a positive difference in their learning journey and their careers,” said Dirk, “and proud that I am in a position as a mentor and coach to help new colleagues in their first steps with us.”

“The starting point for being a good instructor is a positive mindset and the desire to work together with individual students,” Dirk said. “It is important to take one student at a time, one class at a time, and one course at a time, which then adds up to a positive learning experience for students who feel seen and appreciated.”

“I like to challenge students,” he said, “to lead them outside of their comfort zone. Civility is the prerequisite for doing this in an appropriate and appreciative way."

“Tough conversations are necessary and that they will make a team better,” said Dirk. “However, they should be on the level of facts. They should be driven by listening first versus just downloading my opinion, by the paradigm that the other person could be right – by empathy, respect, and the desire to find a win-win solution.”

For his understanding and insistence that we all have unique and valuable experiences to share, it is my pleasure to present the faculty-staff Aspire! Award for PRACTICE CIVILITY to Dirk Buengel.