|
|
 Trent Contract Faculty Union Selects Dr. Shaoling Wang as 2009 CUPE Teaching Award RecipientFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Modern Languages & Literatures Course Instructor to be Recognized at April 6 Awards Reception Wednesday, March 18, 2009, Peterborough Trent University's union for contract faculty, CUPE 3908 Unit 1, is pleased to announce that Dr. Shaoling Wang, course instructor for Mandarin Chinese Language I and II in the Modern Languages & Literatures Department, has been selected as the winner of the 2009 CUPE Award for Excellence in Teaching. Professor Wang will be among eight individuals recognized at a special reception on Monday, April 6 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Champlain College’s Great Hall. Presentations will begin at 4:30 p.m. Prof. Wang has been teaching at Trent since 2007. She holds a B.A. in English, a M.A. in Linguistics, and a Ph.D. in Chinese Linguistics from the University of Hawaii. Prior to coming to Trent, she taught at many institutions, including the China Language Institute in Taiwan, University of Hawaii, Middlebury College, Harvard University and Wellesley College in the United States. Her main areas of research and teaching interests include: Chinese syntax, semantics and pragmatic; Second Language Acquisition; Multimedia Teaching Technology; Second Language Curriculum Development and Films. The quality of nomination letters for Prof. Wang, as well as for many other CUPE 3908-1 members, speaks to the important role that contract faculty are increasingly playing in the academic lives of Trent students. All of the nominations submitted for the award commended Prof. Wang for her effective teaching methods, and for her attention to the individual learner. One student commented, “I believe she went beyond the scope of the course, which was strictly a language course, and even dipped into Chinese culture. This helped a great deal, assisting us with origins of sayings, words and sentence structure.” Commenting on Prof. Wang’s teaching, Fred Pulfer, chair of the CUPE Teaching Awards Committee said, “Not only does she have a great love for students and teaching, but her teaching has a powerful and memorable impact on her students and their learning.” In response to being selected for the award, Prof. Wang commented, “I am very honoured and grateful for the opportunity and support that the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures has given me. It is through their and all the dedicated students’ recognition that this award has been possible. More importantly, this award has proven that language teaching is a serious discipline which requires expertise and needs special attention.” The CUPE Award for Excellence in Teaching was established to honour the work of contract faculty within the Trent community, providing students and colleagues with an avenue to express their appreciation and respect for the high quality of teaching provided by them. Prof. Wang is the first recipient of the award from the Department of Modern Languages & Literatures. Previous recipients of the award include: Adam Stibbards, Psychology (2008) Brent Wood, English Literature (2007); Melanie Buddle, History (2006); Fred Pulfer, Mathematics and the School of Education (2005); Graham Murphy, Cultural Studies (2004); Wendy Kelly, Psychology (2003); Jim Cosgrave, Sociology (2002); and Jill Smith, Women's Studies (2001). -30- For more information, please contact: Fred Pulfer, Chair, CUPE Teaching Awards Committee, (705) 295-4237, fredpulfer@trentu.ca |
