After earning master's and doctoral degrees, Dr. Caroline Muñoz realized she wanted to pursue teaching instead of the corporate ladder life.
Today, Muñoz is an award-winning faculty member in UNG's Mike Cottrell College of Business. In 2021, the associate professor of marketing received the Distinguished Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Award at UNG and the Regents' Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award from the University System of Georgia (USG).
"It is very rewarding and validating to be given both of these awards," Muñoz said. "I want to acknowledge the great co-authors I have worked with over the years. They have not only contributed to the research projects and publications but have inspired me with new ideas to bring to the classroom. I also want to thank all of my students for being patient with me as I tried out a variety of teaching innovations."
The USG and UNG awards encourage and support the work of faculty members whose scholarship focuses on the instructional mission of the institution. Muñoz achieved this based on her teaching philosophy.
"I have a hands-on, practical approach," she said. "I try to have my students incorporate real-life experiences and use actual industry technology in the classroom."
For example, in her fall 2021 social media class, her students worked with six small businesses and not-for-profit clients. They created a series of social media posts and an advertising campaign for their clients, which concluded with the students presenting a social media marketing plan to the client.
Working with students is her favorite part of teaching.
"I like to help them realize they have an interest in digital marketing," Muñoz said. "Then helping them become gainfully employed is what excites me the most. I do anything I can to assist them in getting a job.
With all of this success, she doesn’t think of herself as a leader. Instead, Muñoz sees herself as someone who continually seeks out fulfilling, worthwhile and fun activities in her career.
"I think leadership comes down to goal-centered actions that work toward the common good," she said. "Establishing clear goals that are driven by your interests and passions and then following through with clear actions and communication are good practices."
