When one of Preethika Kumar’s students was killed trying to stop a suicide bomber in Saudi Arabia this past May, Kumar was one of the first people to speak out about the young man she knew so well. They were more than teacher and student; they were friends.

That commitment is just one of Kumar’s traits as a Wichita State University associate professor in electrical engineering that her students have grown to love.

And soon, Kumar’s other exceptional qualities will be recognized as she accepts the 2015 C. Holmes MacDonald Outstanding Teacher Award, presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers-Eta Kappa Nu society.

This national honor – which she’ll receive Friday, Nov. 19, in New Brunswick, New Jersey – is awarded to one electrical engineering professor a year who demonstrates special dedication and creativity in their teaching.

Kumar says her students were adamant she submit a nomination for the award and worked tediously with her during that process.

“The award means a lot to me because, to begin with, it was completely initiated by the students,” she says.

Kumar has taught at Wichita State since fall 2007, along with three semesters prior as she earned her Ph.D.

Fostering relationships

Kumar says teaching has always been her calling. Her greatest strength, she says, is creating relationships with her students.

“Over the years, I have learned that to be a good teacher, in addition to being able to communicate the subject matter effectively, one needs to be able to build and sustain a relationship with one’s students based on trust, mutual respect and care,” Kumar says. “It shows students that I care and that they are individuals to me. It also shows me that students care.”

And no matter what she’s teaching, Kumar makes sure to apply her lessons to the real world the students will soon be entering when they look for a job.

“While teaching, I always try to keep in mind that the students in my class are someday going to be engineers in society,” she says. “This has helped me be a better teacher and helped me fashion my students to be better engineers.”