Dr. Sudeep Majumdar Dr. Sudeep MajumdarDr. Sudeep Majumdar, a biology professor with a passion for teaching anatomy, has been selected to receive Temple College’s 2019 Claudia and W.T. Barnhart Teacher of the Year Award. The award includes a $2,000 stipend and the winner becomes Temple College’s nominee for a statewide teaching excellence award sponsored by the Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation.

A native of India, Dr. Majumdar came to the United States at age 29 to study at Texas A&M University, where he earned his Ph.D. in nutrition. Although he originally planned to pursue a career in research, teaching an anatomy class to community college students while he was working on his Ph.D. and later while conducting postdoctoral research made him decide to pursue community college teaching instead.

Dr. Majumdar spent three years teaching at Panola College in Carthage, Texas, before joining the Temple College faculty in 2010. His initial assignment was in Taylor, where he taught Anatomy and Physiology. In fall 2012, he added Microbiology to the subjects he teaches, and in fall 2014, he became the first Temple College faculty member to teach an online nutrition course, BIOL 1322. Demand for this course has remained high.

In spring 2017, Dr. Majumdar introduced another new online course at Temple College called Biology Fundamentals. This course is designed to prepare students for Anatomy and Physiology, and was part of a collegewide initiative to increase retention rates for Anatomy and Physiology classes.

Dr. Sudeep Majumdar accepts his award at Commencement. Dr. Sudeep Majumdar accepts his award at Commencement.Since Temple College began offering classes at the East Williamson County Higher Education Center in Hutto, Dr. Majumdar has taught Anatomy and Physiology there, while continuing to teach Microbiology and Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology in Taylor.

Dr. Majumdar has continuously received high student evaluations, and has gained a following of students who take his classes.

“I am never hesitant to register a student for one of Dr. Majumdar’s classes,” says Suzanna Bachman, coordinator of student enrollment services for Temple College in Taylor. “Regardless of whether he is teaching a class in person or online, Dr. Majumdar provides excellent service to his students.”

Dr. Majumdar has added supplemental material to each chapter of the Anatomy and Physiology books to help students master the subject, and also leads study groups after class.

Dr. Majumdar has helped many students formulate their future educational plans, and many of his students have gone on to have successful careers as vocational nurses, registered nurses, radiology technicians, dental hygienists, ultrasound technicians and surgical technicians. Several have earned advanced degrees that enable them to work as certified registered nurse anesthetists and family nurse practitioners. One of his former students – Doris Dlouhy – was recently named the winner of the 2019 Excellence in Nursing Award at St. David’s Hospital in Georgetown and has served as a tutor for his Anatomy and Physiology classes for the past two years.

Dlouhy took five different classes from Dr. Majumdar, who students like to call “Dr. M.”

“Dr. M. is invested in his students,” Dlouhy says. “He does everything to support them to be successful.”

Dr. Majumdar has been involved with a variety of committees for Temple College and also has been active in his community. He says his proudest accomplishments are earning tenure at Temple College and becoming a U.S. citizen – both of which happened in 2015.

Dr. Majumdar is the 31st recipient of the Claudia and W.T. Barnhart Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award, which is presented annually at Commencement. The award was first given in 1989, and its recipient is the Temple College nominee for the prestigious Minnie Stevens Piper Professor Award. Two faculty members from Temple College – Robert Schlieker and Michael Donahue – have gone on to receive the Piper Professor Award after winning the Barnhart Award.