Department of Focused Inquiry Welcomes New Chair
The University College’s Department of Focused Inquiry has a new chair.
Katy Hanggi, Ph.D., was selected from a national pool of candidates to lead the Department of Focused Inquiry, which was founded in 2007 to help first-year students develop the skills and knowledge needed for collegiate and lifelong success through learning-centered experiences.
Hanggi’s appointment as Focused Inquiry’s new chair became official on July 12.
"I am very excited to have Dr. Hanggi join University College," said University College Dean, Constance Relihan, Ph.D. "Dr. Hanggi brings to the Department of Focused Inquiry leadership experience with interdisciplinary general education programs, as well as an outstanding understanding of the national conversations surrounding general education. I am confident that she will help us build on the very strong current Focused Inquiry program so that it will continue to provide our students with an even stronger foundation for their academic success."
I am confident that she [Dr. Hanggi] will help us build on the very strong current Focused Inquiry program so that it will continue to provide our students with an even stronger foundation for their academic success.
Prior to coming to Virginia Commonwealth University, Hanggi served as the chair of the English Department and co-director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Doane University in Crete, Nebraska. She is a two-time recipient of the NEH Humanities Connections grant, which helps create intentional pathways through general education that connect students’ interests in health sciences with a foundation in the humanities.
Hanggi has led study abroad trips in China and participated in a Fulbright Seminar in Senegal that allowed her to study religion and diversity in West Africa.
Hanggi holds a Ph.D. in English and a certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Emory University, an M.A. from Boston College and a B.A. from the University of Minnesota— Twin Cities. She also holds a certificate in Digital Pedagogy for her postdoctoral work at Georgia Institute of Technology.