Ganesh-Pillai is an alum of University of Pune.
AB Wire
WASHINGTON, DC: Dr. Rajani Ganesh-Pillai, assistant professor of marketing at the North Dakota State University (NDSU), will be acknowledged with the Peltier Award, to honor innovation in teaching.
Ganesh-Pillai will be bestowed with the award during the annual Celebration of Faculty Excellence on May 6, at the NDSU Harry D. McGovern Alumni Center, according to a press release.
“NDSU has many amazing and dedicated faculty members,” said Provost Beth Ingram. “The four faculty being honored this spring have distinguished themselves as the best of the best. I am truly delighted to be able to recognize their accomplishments.”
Apart from Ganesh-Pillai, the other three award recipients are: Adnan Akyüz, professor of climatological practices and North Dakota state climatologist, will be honored with the Odney Award; Dean Webster, chair and professor of coatings and polymeric materials, will be recognized with the Waldron Award; and Sean Sather-Wagstaff, associate professor and graduate recruitment chair of mathematics, will receive NDSU’s first Mentoring Excellence Award.
The Peltier Award was established by Joseph and Norma Peltier to honor innovation in teaching. Ganesh-Pillai will be recognized for her efforts to bring hands-on experience, theory-based understanding and an enhanced global perspective to her marketing students.
One of her innovative practices is a game called “Baffa Baffa,” where the goal is to have students understand culture’s role in business and how it can affect transactions and relationships.
“This is an eye-opening experience for a lot of students,” Chanchai Tangpong, professor of management, said, in a statement. “This makes them more aware of and more sensitive to cultural issue underlying marketing decisions.”
Ganesh-Pillai earned a bachelor’s degree and Master of Business Administration from the University of Pune, India. She also earned a Master of Business Administration from Emporia State University, Kansas, and a doctorate from the University of Central Florida.