Janet D. Kwami, associate professor of communication studies, is Furman’s 2021 SCICU Excellence in Teaching Award recipient.

Each year, the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities (SCICU) recognizes and celebrates outstanding professors through the Excellence in Teaching Award program. A member of the faculty from each of the 20 members institutions is selected, using criteria determined by each institution.

Kwami, a member of the Furman faculty since 2009, holds a Ph.D in communication and society from the University of Oregon. She earned her M. Phil. in communication from the University of Ghana, and her B.A in publishing studies from the University of Science and Technology in Ghana.

Kwami teaches in the areas of media studies and digital communication technologies. Her courses include Media and Society, Digital Storytelling, International Communication, Advanced Multimedia Storytelling, Lenses on Africa, Media Criticism, Mass Media Research Methods, and Student ePortfolio Workshop.

Kwami is known as a professor who demands excellence from her students. She uses high-impact teaching strategies to support them in meeting the high standards she sets. Engaging critical discussions, creative assignments, extensive feedback and endless encouragement are signature teaching strategies she has used effectively to motivate her students to exceed even their own expectations. Evidence of her teaching success is seen by the selection of her students’ original research for presentation at state, national, and international conferences, and she works diligently to prepare students for these conferences. Notably, her students have presented three times at the International Association for Media and Communication Research, the