A visit to the Taj Mahal was one of Dr. Takeo Suzuki’s stops during his recent two-week trip to India as part of the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program (photo courtesy of Dr. Takeo Suzuki).
Dr. Takeo Suzuki is on a mission to spread the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga name worldwide.
He is also on a mission to bring the world to UTC.
Suzuki, executive director of the UTC Center of Global Education, recently spent two weeks in India after being selected as a 2024-2025 Fulbright U.S. Scholar as part of the Fulbright-Nehru International Education Administrators Program.
From March 9-24, Suzuki and nine other U.S. educators traveled to New Delhi, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, immersing themselves in the country’s varied academic scene and connecting with influential leaders in Indian higher education.
“This program allowed me to visit places I would never be able to visit by myself,” Suzuki said. “Meeting with the president of the entrepreneur center at the T-Hub in Hyderabad, which houses at least 2,000 entrepreneurs in one building. It’s the world’s largest center for entrepreneurship. We spent a big chunk of time discussing what education can do to help a center like theirs.
“I would like to bring UTC educators, professors and staff back to India to make them feel the same way I did. Not in a Fulbright way, because Fulbright did a great job orchestrating everything, but by feeling and experiencing what’s going on there. I think it would make us refocus on what you need to do to help students advance to where they would like to be.”
According to its website, Fulbright Scholar Awards are prestigious and competitive fellowships that provide unique opportunities for scholars to teach and conduct research abroad. Fulbright scholars also play a critical role in U.S. public diplomacy, establishing long-term relationships between people and nations.
The benefits of a Fulbright Scholar Award extend beyond the individual recipient; Fulbright Scholars also raise the profile of their home institutions. The program’s goals include engagement abroad opportunities to establish research and exchange relationships and connecting with potential applicants.
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On Wednesday, April 24, Dr. Takeo Suzuki will host a small seminar for UTC faculty, staff and students interested in learning about his trip titled “Lessons Learned from a Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship Visit to India.” The seminar, limited to 10 participants, will take place from 2-3 p.m. in the Race Hall Tower Room. Click here to register.
“I’m hoping explaining my stories to other UTC faculty will help others consider applying for the Fulbright program,” Suzuki said.
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One interesting lesson Suzuki learned came from a visit to the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad. The school is not interested in becoming No. 1 in the world, he said.
“They’re OK being No. 4 or 5. That’s a different approach from the U.S.,” he explained. “We teach our students here that you should be No. 1 and that you should win those games, but not everybody wins. We need to instill that thought in our education.
“You don’t have to get straight A’s all the time. You don’t have to win all the time. It’s OK to be a B student. It’s OK to share success more with everybody else, because everybody else’s success will come back to you. That’s a big learning curve; it re-educated me about being an educator.”
Suzuki said the trip to India deepened his understanding of that country’s educational landscape and offered profound insights into the country’s cultural and entrepreneurial spirit.
“The universities and colleges we visited showcased a rich tapestry of academic disciplines, teaching methodologies and research initiatives,” he said. “Interacting with students and faculty members across these institutions, I was struck by their passion for innovation and the depth of their inquiry. It was a reminder of the power of education to bridge differences and foster a shared commitment to knowledge and development.”
Insights from the trip, he said, went well beyond the classroom; they addressed issues such as what it means to be an educator and a global citizen in today’s interconnected world. Being tenets of global cooperation, embracing differences, encouraging creativity, participating in worthwhile educational opportunities and immersing oneself in culture are fundamental to the educational mission.
“Reflecting on my journey through India, I am reminded of our responsibility as educators to cultivate these values within our institutions and communities,” Suzuki said. “The Fulbright-Nehru fellowship not only offered me a window into India’s soul but also reinvigorated my commitment to building bridges across cultures and nations for a more inclusive and sustainable future.
“My hope is to help faculty and students extend their relationships and experiences to different parts of the world.”
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Photo gallery courtesy of Dr. Takeo Suzuki
