Dr. Kanwalroop (Kathy) Dhanda who is a professor of management in the Jack Welch College of Business and Technology (WCBT) recently received a Fulbright Scholar Program Award to observe the impact of climate change in Iceland from a business perspective. She will be traveling to Iceland for the fall 2024 semester.
This award gives the opportunity for professionals to lead research and teach in their area of profession while they are abroad.
Source: Tracy Deer-Mirek, Sacred Heart University
“It feels really good to get this award because I have always wanted to apply for it,” said Dhanda.
There are various awards in this program including the Scholar Award, Global Scholar Award, Public Policy Fellowship, Arctic Initiative, and Amazonia. Each of these areas have different components to them and are restricted to certain career levels.
In this program, Fulbright recipients have the chance to engage in research to help with their area of profession and after going abroad they may be offered partnerships through institutions.
Dhanda’s area of study is about the environment and the protection of our resources. She mainly focuses her professional work on business and tools that can be used towards keeping a sustainable economy.
She has developed her experience of sustainability by teaching courses about sustainability and leadership at the American University of Paris and the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand.
The grant Dhanda received allows her to get the opportunity to go abroad to Iceland and learn more about their supply chains, their overall economy and climate change.
“I am mostly going to focus on supply chains and interviewing people to see how climate change impacts their jobs and I will design a survey for this,” said Dhanda.
According to a Sacred Heart press release, Dhanda expects to bring with her considerable knowledge and findings and to have established a liaison between the University of Iceland and SHU.
While Dhanda is abroad, she will be teaching a graduate class at the University of Iceland where she will be educating students about supply chains. The concept of supply chains allows a network of individuals, organizations, resources, and technology involved in the creation and sales of a product.
“I love teaching students abroad. So, I will be teaching as well as researching while I am there,” said Dhanda.
Dr. David Taylor, Dean of the WCBT, has had the chance to teach abroad, as well, and has been given awards from the business school such as the teaching and service award.
“She is an outstanding researcher and an excellent colleague which makes it more exciting that she is winning this award. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one of the most prestigious awards,” said Taylor.
The WCBT’s mission is to educate leaders to make a positive impact on the community and prepare them for success in the evolving and complex global business environment. They also focus on experiential learning and impactful research.
“I really love all the courses the business school has to offer; there are so many amazing opportunities and the professors are super helpful. I’ve made really great connections with my professors, and I can’t wait to see where the business school takes me,” said sophomore Julia Sateriale.
In a press release with Sacred Heart, Dhanda said, “In our field, the Fulbright Scholar Award is the pinnacle of an academic career; it is the highest award. It is such an honor because the Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international exchange program. In a way, they are naming me as an ambassador from the U.S. going to Iceland.”
