Dr. Phani Tej Adidam Connects UNO CBA Globally

Dr. Phani Tej Adidam is a professor of marketing at UNO CBA and teaches classes in international business, marketing strategies, sales management, and brand management at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. He also serves as director for the Center for International Business Initiatives and has taught at 12 business schools across the globe as visiting professor. In April, Adidam was recognized for his exceptional contributions with the Faculty Excellence in Global Engagement Award.

The honor is a long time coming for Adidam. His global activities consistently connect UNO CBA and students with the world, a career-long passion for him.

“Even before I formally got involved with global initiatives at CBA, I was introducing lots of global issues in my marketing courses,” says Adidam. “Eventually, Dean Pol asked me to formally steer CBA’s global engagement efforts, and I felt very honored for the trust and confidence that he reposed in me. It has been a wonderful journey.”

Adidam reflects on his ability to interact with faculty members, academic leaders, and students from all six continents. During his career, he’s realized that the “themes and values of higher education are universal.” Exploring the connections between diverse cultures and peoples became his lasting passion.

“The thirst for knowledge, and applying our ideas to make our world a better place, is not confined to local clusters or restricted by a lack of resources,” says Adidam. “The beauty of global engagement is to learn from one another in an open and honest manner that will hopefully lead to win-win collaborations.”

To encourage these global interactions, Adidam brings his worldwide experiences to the classroom. His course material often reflects his adventures, such as when he translated his conversations with business executives from Saudi Arabia into a communications exercise in his Global Business course. During all of his travels, he compares and contrasts cultural and economic issues and seeks out common themes to bring back to his students.

“Few students have been exposed to global issues, which could create misleading or false stereotypes,” shares Adidam. “It is incumbent upon us to bring the globe to UNO.”

To keep breaking down barriers to global communication and collaboration, he encourages faculty and students alike to be lifelong explorers, travelers, and global thinkers. He’ll continue to lead the way.

Congratulations to Dr. Adidam for his award and continuous excellence in global engagement!