This article was posted on: February 5, 2007
See ODU News of the Week RAVINDRA P. JOSHI FEATURED TWICE IN RECENT ISSUE OF “THE COURIER”
The cover feature in the January 12, 2007 issue of “the Courier” recognizes ECE faculty member Ravindra P. Joshi as one of four Old Dominion University faculty members who will be elevated to the status of University Professor, effective at the start of the 2007-08 academic year. He is the second ECE faculty member to be recognized as such. Roland Mielke was named University Professor in 2002.
Currently, 32 faculty members at ODU hold the title of University Professor. The designation was established to recognize outstanding teachers. Only tenured faculty are considered for the honor. Designated faculty will hold the title permanently and will receive $2,500 per year of discretionary funds to support their professional development for the four years following their appointment.
Faculty are nominated for the honorary title by departmental colleagues in their discipline. Professor Joshi was nominated by ECE Eminent Professor, Karl Schoenbach, in October 2006. Approved nominations are forwarded by deans to the University Professors Committee.
According to the Faculty Handbook, “Each nominee shall ordinarily teach a minimum of three courses per year, which shall ordinarily include one undergraduate course. Nominees shall have student ratings above the departmental mean for the average overall effectiveness of the instructor, averaged for all courses per semester.”
Additionally, Dr. Joshi was one of nine ODU faculty members who were nominated for the 2007 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards program. Administered by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and funded by a grant from the Dominion Foundation, the program will select statewide winners for awards of $5,000 each. The recipients will be announced early next month. Each of them was awarded an account of $500 to support their scholarship.
This is an excerpt from Dr. Joshi’s personal statement, which was part of his nomination materials. “I consider myself to be an inspiring and effective teacher. I always endeavor to help my students succeed by encouraging independent thinking, self-confidence and belief in their own unique abilities. Although I started out with the traditional classroom lectures, I have evolved to incorporate televised teaching, CD-ROMS, tapes and other asynchronous methods. Using humor, citing commonplace practical examples and being cognizant of the needs and background of my students greatly helped improve my style, delivery and effectiveness in the classroom. ... I think an effective teacher should help students get tough and be prepared to face challenges of the engineering profession. I have always worked toward this goal by maintaining high standards, quality and work ethics.” Dr. Joshi has proven himself to be the “effective teacher” as evidenced by his consistently high student evaluation ratings.
Since coming to ODU in 1989 as an Assistant Professor, Dr. Joshi has advanced in his academic career to Associate professor in 1996 and to Full Professor in 2001. He has taught undergraduate and graduate courses and labs in areas such as semiconductors, electromagnetics, circuits, signals and systems, and bioelectrics. He has also developed 8 new courses for the department ranging from the undergraduate to doctoral level. To date, Dr. Joshi has mentored 43 graduate students, 34 having already received their degrees and 9 who are currently working with Dr. Joshi in pursuit of their graduate degrees.
Join with us in congratulating Dr. Joshi on his achievements!
This article was posted on: February 5, 2007 See ODU News of the Week