By Steve Gilliam , University Relations
Connect: (336) 334-5371
Posted 4-23-08
GREENSBORO, NC – Dr. Vidyaranya B. Gargeya, a professor of information systems and operations management, is among 17 outstanding faculty members selected by the UNC Board of Governors to receive the 14th Annual Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
The faculty members were nominated on their home campuses and selected by the BOG Committee on Personnel and Tenure. Each will receive a bronze medallion and a $7,500 cash prize during a luncheon, held in conjunction with the board’s May 9 meeting in Chapel Hill. Presenters will be President Erskine Bowles and BOG Chair Jim Phillips.
Gargeya, who is already an award-winning teacher, engages students with live case studies, interactive guest speakers, and written exams that provide students with real-life business experiences in the classroom. He came to UNCG in 1993 the Department of Information Systems & Operations Management of the Bryan School of Business & Economics. He has created and taught a wide range of courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. In 2006, he received a UNCG Alumni Teaching Excellence Award.
According to a student nominator, “He does not teach to make a living. He lives to teach.” Gargeya received his baccalaureate at Andhra University in India, his postgraduate diploma in management at the Indian Institute of Management, and his doctorate in business administration from Georgia State University.
Before MBA students set foot in their first class with Gargeya, they are presented with his Memorandum of Understanding which outlines – in detail – their responsibilities for the course as well as what they can expect of their professor. "I spend a lot of time preparing for class so that when I enter the classroom I bring my best and I expect my students to do the same," he said.
His commitment to his students does not end when the final grades are posted. As part of the Memorandum of Understanding, he also offers a Service Guarantee. "Once students complete my course, any topic covered in the class is open for discussion for the rest of their lives. They can email or call me and I will respond within 24 hours," he said.
Over his 13 years at UNCG, many students have taken him up on the offer. "As long as it is knowledge for knowledge's sake, I really enjoy reconnecting with former students. It's what keeps me going," he said. Another clause in his Service Guarantee, which students take him up on much sooner and much more regularly, is that he will write a letter of recommendation for any student who passes his course.
"I got into teaching by design, not by accident,” he said. “I was working in the petroleum industry in India and teaching part-time. I loved teaching so much that I decided to come to the U.S. to pursue my doctorate." After completing a year of graduate studies at Georgia State, he started teaching MBA-level courses and he has not stopped since. He has dedicated a substantial amount of time and thought to pedagogical studies.
The annual awards were established by the BOG in 1994 to underscore the importance of teaching and to reward good teaching across the University. Winners must have taught at their present institutions at least seven years. No one may receive the award more than once.
