2021 MGA Lecturer of the Year Award
Carol Baulch, Kim Syling , Dr. Paul Kalfadellis, Luiggia Pallini and Pichaya Botaboonapinya
The MGA’s Vice President Melinda Krebsz revealed the 2021 winner at a morning tea on Caulfield Campus in May.
In late May, a few members of the MGA headed over to a monthly morning tea held by the Department of Management (Business and Economics) on Caulfield Campus to make a surprise announcement.
Melinda Krebsz, Vice President of the MGAEC, addressed the staff and students present and told them she was there to reveal the winner of the MGA’s 2021 Lecturer of the Year Award.
She reported that a total of thirteen nominations were made by graduate students last year, and that two of the outstanding teachers were nominated more than once, including the winner: Dr Paul Kalfadellis, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Management, Business and Economics at Monash University.
Nominating students Kim Syling and Carol Baulch, both studying a Master of Global Business, agreed that Dr Kalfadellis is a really engaging teacher who encouraged a collaborative classroom environment and provided real life examples and case studies to illustrate his lessons.
Kim said he made an extra effort to establish unity in the classroom. “In Semester 1, while many students remained overseas, Paul looked for the best lecture rooms on campus so he could digitally project our remote classmates onto the wall so that our blended class could be virtually together in one room for the tutorials.”
Carol said she appreciated his practical encouragement. “He tells us that if we can’t find a proper job in Australia, we shouldn’t settle for waitressing jobs or Uber driving”
Dr Paul Kalfadellis was surprised and honoured by the award. He told the audience that he was passionate about teaching and academia, and if you love what you do, it usually shows. “I also think that we, the Department of Management, really consider the students and their needs, what they are looking to get out of their tuition.”
The Lecturer of the Year Award was initiated by the MGA in 2012 as a response to coursework students who wanted to celebrate excellence in academic teaching and give back to the teachers who went out of their way to inspire a love of learning in their students. Truly a decision of the graduate student community, the nominations are made by students and the winners are decided by a panel of graduate students drawn from the MGA Executive Committee (MGAEC).
A big congratulations to Dr Kalfadellis for his recognition as an outstanding teacher. We’d also like to thank all the graduate students who took the time to nominate their lecturers.
Do you have a lecturer who goes above and beyond? Put them forward for the 2022 MGA Lecturer of the Year Award. Nominations are now open – click the button below to follow the nomination application.