Dean Brazina talks about why he loves La Salle, traveling and motorcycles

By Robert Penrose
Collegian Reporter
April 18, 2007

One of the faces that can be seen on La Salle’s campus is that of Dean Paul Brazina, the interim dean of the School of Business.

Beginning his work in 1974, he has taught auditing and both financial and managerial accounting. He is also the founder and director of the school’s E– Commerce Institute, an organization that helps increase the faculty and student body’s awareness of the Internet marketplace. He has also surveyed Galway, Ireland to decide if it would be suitable for La Salle students traveling abroad.

Before coming to La Salle, Brazina had extensive career experience, traveling the world over. A West Philadelphia man, Brazina grew up in Overbrook before attending college at Penn State where he earned his B.S. and M.B.A.

After graduation, he worked for PriceWaterhouse & Co. and Coopers and Lybrand. He also served in the U.S. Navy as a First Lieutenant aboard a guided missile ship. As a Navy man, Brazina was placed in areas of responsibility unusual for men his age. He was put in charge of deck operations, millions of dollars of equipment and had over a dozen men under his command.

“The Navy afforded me the ability to see the world,” he said.

Brazina has traveled to places as far away as Hong Kong in Southeast Asia.

Brazina came to La Salle because of his love of the college atmosphere.

“La Salle was perfect for me because it was a close knit Christian Brothers University. It was located in my home city and was focused on the student population,” Brazina said.

“My greatest love of La Salle stems from the latter. I love the fact that La Salle students have a drive to learn and to achieve in their studies, and to be a part of their development is a great reward.”

He remarks that during his past 33 years of teaching, the attitudes of the student body have changed little. They have the same desire to learn that he experienced with students in his first years of teaching.

In addition to his working at La Salle, he has also been working with as a consultant for Rosenfelt, Siegel & Goldberg, a law firm.

In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and friends and has maintained many of his former high school friendships through the years. He enjoys the outdoors and is an avid cyclist. He also enjoys working on restoring classic cars.

“Recently though, I’ve changed my hobby to restoring motorcycles. It’s much less expensive,” he said.

Brazina has always been fond of La Salle. He advises students to build relationships during their years here.

“When you graduate, work hard, focus on starting your career and maintain your drive, but strange as it may seem, stay close to La Salle,” he said. La Salle can offer alumni a great place to network and maintain contacts, as well as a familiar place to call home.”

penroser1@lasalle.edu