Joseph Xu

Associate Professor of Marketing

Before applying to teach at Union, Joseph Xu, associate professor of marketing, had never heard of the university. He prayed before submitting his application package and was invited to Jackson to visit the campus.

“When I first entered Union University, I had a really strong feeling. It felt like home,” Xu said. “All of the students were really nice, all of the colleagues were really nice, all of the people who work at Union were really friendly.”

Xu pursued a career in education not only to share experience and knowledge but also to build relationships with his students.

“We can learn a lot from our students,” Xu said. “I always tell my students, ‘In the classroom, I’m your professor. But after we go outside of the classroom, we can be close friends.’”

Xu also enjoys the community among faculty at Union.

“Serving at Union, it’s like a dream come true,” Xu said. “We can balance our research and all serve together. All of our colleagues are really nice. Whenever we have anything, a good thing or bad thing, we put everything on the table. We pray together. We encourage each other.”

Xu is drawn to marketing because it is everywhere and presents a daily challenge. He pushes to connect concepts to real life, especially through integrating recent cases into his teaching. His favorite class to teach is global business, in which he enjoys sharing his experience in China’s Eastern culture to help equip students who plan to pursue careers in other parts of the world.

In addition to helping his students build a solid business background, Xu seeks to be a testimony in caring for them. He prays before teaching that he will be able to share God’s message and not his own, and he keeps an open door for students to ask him questions anytime.

“I just try my best to be a good testimony, care about students, help them [and] take care of them,” Xu said. “Whenever they have any problem, we try our best to stay at his or her side to help.”

Xu also sees marketing as intrinsically related to faith. Just as a marketer looks to discover a consumer’s needs, satisfy those needs and create relationships, God knows our needs, satisfies them when we accept him as Savior and brings us into relationship with himself. Xu said his current research into employee co-creation also reflects the way we co-create value with God.

“Every day, every class, we can integrate marketing . . . into our faith,” Xu said.

By Naomi Mengel (’21)

University Profile for Joseph Xu