Title: Adjunct Professor of Economics
Company: Cuyahoga Community College
Location: South Euclid, Ohio, United States
Madina E. Ndefru, PhD, adjunct professor of economics at Cuyahoga Community College, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in economics.
Born in Sierra Leone, Dr. Ndefru has built her esteemed reputation across 45 years of teaching in the United States and Nigeria. She currently serves as an adjunct professor of economics at Cuyahoga Community College, where she teaches a variety of courses each year. While Dr. Ndefru’s focus is economics, she has also led classes in French, international and comparative education, and mathematics. She has mastered teaching in all its forms, whether running a traditional, in-person class, an online-only class that’s synchronous or asynchronous, or a hybrid of any of these types.
Though Dr. Ndefru initially immigrated to the United States in 1969, she traveled to Kano, Nigeria, in 1979, where she would spend more than 15 years teaching at Bayero University. Beginning as an associate professor of economics, she was promoted to senior lecturer, professor of economics and chair of the department of economics before leaving the institution in 1995. Upon returning to the U.S., Dr. Ndefru felt that she needed corporate experience to better understand how the economy worked in this region, leading to tenures with TNT Logistics and Airborne Express before she returned to academia. Prior to joining Cuyahoga Community College in 2008, she contributed as an adjunct professor at a number of institutions, including Case Western Reserve University, Lorain County Community College, Sinclair Community College, Wright State University and Central State University.
In order to pursue a career as an educator, Dr. Ndefru first set a strong foundation in her own education. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts in economics and French at Indiana University Bloomington in 1974. Dr. Ndefru remained at that institution to complete a Master of Arts in economics in 1976 and a Master of Science in international and comparative education in 1978. Subsequently, she earned a PhD in economics at Nigeria’s Ahmadu Bello University in 1992. Dr. Ndefru has demonstrated commitment to these institutions above and beyond her own education and employment. She has offered her guidance as a member of a faculty post-graduate committee, a faculty journal editorial board, a research and publications committee, a student affairs committee and a master’s program in banking and finance committee, among other contributions.
Throughout her lengthy professional life, Dr. Ndefru has prioritized continued learning and adaptation, with an eye toward finding the best approach for each institution and education system. She prides herself on using the latest technologies and teaching methods to draw students in and invest them in the topic of economics. Dr. Ndefru attributes her success to her education, her dedication to educating others, her willingness to keep learning and her perseverance in the face of challenges. Her achievements in the field have been honored with Teaching Excellence Awards from Sinclair Community College and Cuyahoga Community College.
Dr. Ndefru is married to Dr. John T. Ndefru, a professor of physics and fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Physics. The couple are devoted parents to four daughters and nine grandchildren and consider raising their children to be their greatest life highlight. Outside of her career and family, Dr. Ndefru enjoys playing piano, reading literature, swimming and gardening. She has set ambitious goals for the coming years, including increased research in economic management. Although Dr. Ndefru is beginning to plan for her retirement, she is still enthusiastic about her work. She also looks forward to spending more time performing community service and working with charities.
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