Santanu Chatterjee is the recipient of the 2022 Richard Reiff Internationalization Award from the University of Georgia’s Office of Global Engagement.
Chatterjee is associate dean for diversity, international and master’s programs at the Terry College of Business and directs both the Full-Time MBA and the Master of Science in Business Analytics programs. He joined the Economics Department faculty in 2001 and was awarded the university’s Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship in 2018. His research interests include economic growth and development, particularly foreign aid, income inequality and public investment.
During his time at UGA, Chatterjee has promoted the importance of international experiences for students. He’s personally participated in study abroad programs for undergraduate and graduate students eight times, including three trips to China and other destinations in South Africa, Spain and Latin America. He also supported the International Business Programs staff at Terry during the launch of new exchange partnerships in France, Spain and Uruguay and the startup of several faculty-led study abroad programs at the college.
In 2018, under Chatterjee’s direction, the Full-Time MBA international residency program at Terry was redesigned to focus on experiential learning through semester-long consulting projects. Students worked remotely with clients initially and ended the engagement with on-site meetings and presentations during the travel component of the consulting project.
“This experience gives students a uniquely better view of the global business landscape and allows them to apply their MBA skills to business problems in the international context,” Chatterjee said. “With the support of our Dean’s Office, we expanded financial aid for the international residency and participation increased from 16 students annually to 54 in 2022.
“The Office of Global Engagement has been a vital partner on all of our international initiatives,” he added. “I am honored to receive this award and just as quick to acknowledge that a number of Terry College faculty and staff members deserve significant credit for their contributions to our international outreach and institutional reputation.”
The Reiff Award honors a tenured or tenure-track faculty member who has made major contributions to UGA’s internationalization efforts. It is given in honor of Richard Reiff, who was the executive director of the Office of International Education at the University System of Georgia, former chair of USG’s international committee and a past president of NAFSA/Association of International Educators.