Outstanding Teaching, Research and Service Celebrated at Faculty Honors Ceremony

Authored by:

Trisha Brahmachari was a top high school student when she arrived at the George Washington University in 2023, and at first she saw no reason why college should change an academic approach she described as "very focused on getting another A." In her second year, however, Brahmachari took an introduction to international business class with School of Business Associate Professor Jin Hyung Kim that transformed her college experience for the better-even if it alarmed her a little at first.

"Professor Kim is very transparent about what he wants you to get from the class, and it's never going to be to add another A to your transcript," Brahmachari told GW Today. "That was a tough pill to digest for me, especially coming from high school."

But as the class went on, Brahmachari saw how Kim's emphasis away from grades wasn't tough for toughness' sake. On the contrary, it signaled his practical, holistic approach to teaching and learning.

"Professor Kim really does emphasize learning and growing not only as a student but also as a human being," Brahmachari said. "What skill can you get from this class that you can apply to your outside life as an employee, a friend, a family member? The minute I started to understand that, it changed my entire outlook."

The class was "a fantastic experience," and Brahmachari's new mindset did not hurt her grades-in fact, it "helped me do better academically to not focus on that." She would go on to minor in international business, even returning to Kim's class as a teaching assistant. She will graduate May 17 from the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences (CCAS), having earned her bachelor's degree in economics and political science in just three years.

And this week, Brahmachari was able to publicly express her appreciation when she presented Kim with the Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Prize for Teaching Excellence at GW's 16th Annual Faculty Honors Ceremony. The yearly event spotlights accomplished faculty and graduate students across the university.

"Professor Kim has had a monumental impact on my academic and professional career, and I believe that any student would be lucky to have him, not only as a professor but as a role model, resource and supporter," Brahmachari said from the podium at Jack Morton Auditorium Tuesday afternoon.

In prerecorded remarks, Kim remembered being a business student himself and struggling to understand how the things he'd learned were relevant to his own life. As a professor, he enjoys using news clips and case histories to show students how international business concepts like the foreign exchange rate affect them every day.

"The most fulfilling thing in my teaching is helping my students to see the bridge between the classroom and the real world," Kim said.

"I want to begin with what for me are the most important words I can say: Thank you," President Ellen M. Granberg told the audience of faculty, students and staff. "Thank you for committing yourselves to teaching and research here in the nation's capital; for preparing students to lead with integrity, resilience and purpose; for cultivating a civic-minded community that sparks creativity, advances discovery and makes a lasting impact; and for changing the world. This is what the very best universities are designed to do, and it's what we do here at GW."

"Today, we dedicate time to honor the depth of our community's talent and the significant contributions of individuals who strengthen our academic and research enterprise and drive our institution forward on our path toward preeminence," Interim Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Lach said. "Our world-class faculty…form the foundation of our culture of academic excellence."

The three Oscar and Shoshana Trachtenberg Faculty Prizes were endowed by GW President Emeritus Stephen Joel Trachtenberg as a tribute to his parents. Amanda Castel, professor of epidemiology in the Milken Institute School of Public Health, won the Trachtenberg Prize for Scholarship (Research), while Shaista Khilji, department chair and professor of human and organizational learning in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development, was awarded the Trachtenberg Prize for Service.

"In the research world, we often measure success based on the number of grants that get funded and the number of high-impact publications," Castel said. "To be recognized by my peers in this manner is quite an honor for me."

"To know that GW recognizes my two decades of service to the institution-I'm truly humbled, and it feels great," Khilji said.

Paul Cordes accepted a Gold Anniversary Faculty Award on behalf of his father, longtime economics professor and Faculty Senate member Joseph Cordes, who joined GW in 1975 and passed away this February. (William Atkins/GW Today)

Like Kim, several awardees stressed the importance of linking the academic enterprise to the wider world. That might mean having students write their own briefs to present to United Nations policymakers, like Elliott School of International Affairs Research Fellow Shirley Ann Graham, who received the Writing in the Disciplines Best Assignment Design Award. Or it might mean creating technology that could revolutionize diagnosis of certain infections, like School of Medicine and Health Sciences Professor Timothy McCaffrey, who won Inventor of the Year from GW's Technology Commercialization Office.

In fact, "Seeing the student go from understanding the concept to interpreting the real world is the entire teaching process," said Kathryn Nicholson, a graduate student in economics who received one of four Philip Amsterdam Graduate Student Teaching Awards. "And that's highly fulfilling."

To see the full list of faculty award winners, finalists and distinguished awardees, including new faculty emeriti and the Gold and Silver Anniversary Faculty Awards, please visit the 16th Annual Faculty Honors Ceremony page.

Org Sci Class Examines Extreme Decision Making