A mostly sunny place, clean air and tennis courts made up the list of requirements when looking for a place to work for Dr. Nirmal Goswami. The match to that list? Texas A&M University Kingsville (TAMUK).
With a combined 53 years of service to the university, Nirmal and Dr. Jaya Goswami will be making an evolution in life as their decision to retire draws near in December.
Professor of Political Science Nirmal started working at the university in the fall of 1990, and has since taught a total of 93 semesters.
Starting her career at the university in 2001, current Interim Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs is Jaya Goswami. Jaya started as a part-time adjunct English lecturer in the Department of Language and Literature teaching English, and then became an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Full Professor before moving to administration.
“I visited the campus [and] I just liked how the campus felt to me and it’s been a great choice and I’ve never regretted it. I feel very fortunate that I’ve spent my entire working career here,” Nirmal said.
Nirmal played tennis growing up and even won his state championship in India. He serves as the Volunteer Assistant Women’s Coach, a position he uses to recruit students for the university.
“I have a lot of gratitude for what India taught me because that helped me become who I became and a lot of gratitude for all of the funding support I got for graduate school in the U.S.,” he said.
Nirmal was born and raised in India where he developed a love of nature and interest in the American West.
“I was a teaching assistant in graduate school and that experience helped me lean towards a teaching career but I also wanted to work in a small school where teaching was valued, where teaching was the primary responsibility and A&M-Kingsville has been a perfect fit for me so I feel a lot of gratitude and thankfulness to A&M-Kingsville,” Nirmal said.
Nirmal started a group of global programs across three continents in the countries of New Zealand, Bouton, India, Namibia, South Africa and Botswana. A collective of seven documentaries have been produced by his study abroad students, where he serves as the Executive Producer. His last study abroad trip took place last summer in South Africa.
“The university has let me teach like the way I wanted to and that’s been just very rewarding,” he said.
Nirmal describes working closely with students as one of the fun parts of his job. Many of his students have gone on to law school and graduate school, branding themselves as a part of the G-Squad.
“I don’t think of retiring, I’m borrowing the term that the tennis player Serena Williams uses, evolving into a different phase rather than retiring,” he said “We are not thinking about retiring, [just] evolving into a new phase,” Nirmal said.
The Goswamis still plan to stay involved in the university helping in any aspect they can while volunteering in San Antonio and different organizations in India and Africa.
Long -time friend, neighbor and colleague Dr. Paul Hagemen attended the retirement celebration for Nirmal and Jaya Goswami held on Nov. 16 on campus.
“We have spent almost every holiday together, a lot of Friday night dinners and barbecues, and just wonderful time and memories. They’re two of my dearest, dearest friends,” Hagemen said.
Their sons are only three years apart and grew up together in the many years they spent living adjacent to each other.
Nirmal and Jaya Goswami’s son, Rohit, earned both his undergraduate and master’s degree from the University of Texas.
Throughout their time at the university both Nirmal and Jaya Goswami have worked with many different people, and would like to thank the many colleagues that have helped them along the way.
Center for Continuing Education Coordinator Brenda Ballard currently works under Jaya.
“When you have different jobs in life if you come across different types of bosses, you don’t realize how bad bosses have been in your past until you have an amazing one and then it just outshined everybody else and that is what she is to me,” Ballard said.
Ballard also credits Jaya with helping her leadership skills and allowing her to grow on campus.
“She’s taught me that I can be whoever I want to be because she has,” she said. “We’re also lucky to have them both on campus and I hope we take everything that they’ve done here and keep it going.”
Jaya also previously served as Associate Vice President for Student Success, Associate Dean in the College of Education and Human Performance and Director of the Center for Teaching Effectiveness.
“They are lots of little things that I’ve accomplished in the various roles but I think my focus on faculty and what they do in the classroom has been my biggest accomplishment,” she said.
Jaya notes how blessed, humbled and grateful she is for the support she’s received from students, faculty and staff.
“What has impacted me most about this university is the fact that this university – the Javelina experience for our students – transforms lives and when we change one student’s life we don’t just change that one person’s life, it’s a life of the whole family and then the whole community and that I think is huge and that it goes so far and it’s so humbling that keeps me going and wanting to do more and more,” she said.
Jaya and her husband Nirmal plan to travel as they transition into their next phase of life.
Jaya would also like to work with immigrants to teach them English, as she believes it’s empowering to know the language of the country in which you’re living.
“If I was asked, if I had a chance to do it over again, I would do exactly the same thing. I would always come back,” she said. “We have so much talent, so many good people, so many good students that I’m sure we can reach great heights… I mean I get goosebumps when I think of this place, you know so I want to see it succeed, and I know it will.”
Jaya and Nirmal were surrounded by friends and colleagues during their retirement celebration. Tears were shed by many and laughter filled the room. Though their day-to-day lives at the university are ending, the Goswamis plan to stay connected to the university.
“This is a special place both in terms of its history and the role that it plays in the greater South Texas region and I hope the university continues to remain a unique place in terms of small classes and quality programs. Knowing where its roots are and yet have a global vision and that’s what made this special place even more special, so I would continue to be involved in the university because that’s a vision I want to be part of,” Nirmal said.
