GCC Teaching Faculty Honored with 2019-2020 Undergraduate Teaching Award

Dr. Tanu Kohli Bagwe, the Center for Global Engagement's (CGE) teaching faculty for the Global Citizenship Certificate, received a distinguished 2019-2020 Undergraduate Teaching Award from Florida State University. The Global Citizenship Certificate, a collaborative program between the CGE and International Affairs in the College of Social Sciences and Public Policy, provides undergraduate students at FSU an opportunity to develop important skills and competencies necessary to succeed in today's increasingly globalized workforce.

She was selected by a committee of faculty and students for her excellence as a professor, role model, and innovator in her field.

“Dr. Kohli was greatly influential in my college career. She inspired my passion in research and showed me that presenting it was fun,” said former student Connor Perez, senior majoring in Interdisciplinary Social Science and International Affairs. “She also helped me in becoming a greater global citizen in understanding other perspectives and going beyond the experiences I've already had!”

Awardees demonstrate a record of outstanding performance using creative and innovative teaching techniques, relating knowledge from their field to other disciplines, organizing and presenting information in a stimulating way, serving as a positive role model and challenging students to think critically and challenge assumptions, listening to students’ views and ideas, showing respect for all persons, and imparting a respect for truth and love of learning to inspire students to work hard and develop self-esteem through mastery.

“I love working with undergraduate students because they come with this immense curiosity in the ties that bind us together as a world,” Dr. Kohli Bagwe said. “Seeing them learn about new global trends and analyze problems from multiple perspectives is an enriching process for all of us. My favorite part is when they learn different ways of examining cultural behaviors and start applying these to their personal and professional relationships.”

Dr. Elçin Haskollar, Program Director for the Global Citizenship Certificate, said that Dr. Kohli Bagwe’s contributions have improved the quality of GCC students’ experiences in Global Perspectives, the certificate’s required foundational course.

“Dr. Kohli Bagwe’s performance has substantially exceeded FSU’s highest expectations,” Dr. Haskollar said, “Students have expressed their appreciation for her throughout her history here at FSU.”

In a Fall 2018 evaluation, a student commented that “Dr. Kohli is a wonderful professor! One of the best on campus. She always provides interesting and pertinent examples in class that cause really interesting conversations and dialogue between students. You can really see the amount of effort that Dr. Kohli puts into her classes. From learning each of her student's names (I have never had a professor do this before), to providing specific edits to essays, updating canvas regularly, and being available for students to talk to her. Dr. Kohli's class covers some topics that are not always discussed openly, and yet she manages to create conversations that are non-judgmental. She follows the guidances of being interculturally competent in class.”

Another student submitted the following comment in Fall 2018 through the FSU Thank-A-Professor program, “The capstone course of the Global Citizenship Certificate was my favorite and it truly inspired me to become a Global Citizen. Thank you for making our class fun and motivating. The different activities we did were always so unique and it was cool to learn through different simulations.”

According to Dr. Kohli Bagwe, “A teacher is as good as their students let them be, which makes me very grateful to get amazing students whether they are enrolled in the Global Citizenship Certificate or otherwise.”

Students interested in taking a class with Dr. Kohli Bagwe can register for a section of Global Perspectives in fall (IDS 2431, Sections 0002 or IDS 2431, Section 0004, which is restricted to GCC students until July 16, 2020).

FSU students interested in enrolling in the Global Citizenship Certificate may learn more by visiting cge.fsu.edu/globalcitizen and can schedule a personal info session here.