Dr. Robert W. Bigelow | Thomas Edison State University

Advisory regarding Southern California wildfires

On behalf of everyone at Thomas Edison State University, we hope that students affected by the wildfires in Southern California remain safe. The University is offering accommodations to students affected by the wildfires:

Students who are directly impacted by the fires and who are currently registered in courses for the November 2024, December 2024 and January 2025 terms have the option of receiving a free eight-week course extension without mentor approval; or, a 100% tuition credit for their course(s) to a future term. Affected students should submit a Request for Course Extension Form or a Request for Course Withdrawal Form indicating “Southern California wildfires” as the reason for the request. Please note that TECEP exams in these terms cannot be extended, nor credited for tuition after the exam has been taken.

Impacted students who are currently on a course extension for the September 2024 and October 2024 terms can request a second eight-week extension on their current term at no additional cost.

Request an Accommodation: Students affected by the wildfire and evacuations who need an accommodation should contact the Office of the Registrar by email at registration@tesu.edu or by phone at 609-777-5680. Accommodation requests should be submitted by January 24th. Requests after that date can be accommodated if the student provides documentation of the reason for the late request.

Degrees:

Ph.D., Capella University
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center
B.A., University of New Mexico

Robert W. Bigelow, J.D., Ph.D. serves as associate dean of the School of Business and Management at Thomas Edison State University. Bigelow is an accomplished educator and attorney known for his innovative leadership in online education. At TESU, he contributed significantly to the academic community, including serving as a mentor for eleven years and completing a Scholar-in-Residence term in 2024. He was also one of the inaugural mentors for the University’s Doctor of Business Administration program.

Previously, Bigelow was an academic program director at Capella University’s School of Business, Technology, and Health Care Administration. He managed the Master of Business Administration, Master of Science in Human Resource Management and Bachelor of Science programs, encompassing 19 specializations and serving more than 5,000 students. His leadership was instrumental in advancing experiential learning opportunities and securing accreditations from the Higher Learning Commission, the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, the Project Management Institute’s Global Accreditation Center and aligning programs with the Society for Human Resource Management.

Bigelow also served as core faculty at Capella University for more than a decade. During this time, he was pivotal in shaping the FlexPath education delivery system — the first accredited direct assessment learning approach in higher education. Additionally, he has held faculty appointments at Touro Graduate School of Business, Upper Iowa University and New York Law School, and he was a long-time faculty member for the Intensive Trial Advocacy Program at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

In addition to his academic career, Bigelow has extensive experience as an attorney. He began his legal career as a trial attorney in the Bronx office of the Legal Aid Society and later became a supervising attorney at the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Division in New York City. He subsequently transitioned to private practice as a managing partner in a N.Y./N.J. law firm and later solo practice. Bigelow is also well-known for his work as a television legal analyst, having appeared as a regular guest commentator on Court TV and truTV for five years.

Bigelow’s academic interests include andragogy in online education, employment law, human resource management, criminal law and trial advocacy. His diverse expertise and dedication to advancing education make him an integral Thomas Edison State University community member.