Our People
These are the people and instructors that are a part of Confucius Institute.
Board of Directors
Beth Ann Dobie, Provost and Chief Operating Officer of Alfred University - Chair
Charles Edmonson, President Emeritus of Alfred University
Terry S. Galanis, Trustee of Alfred University
Laura Greyson, Trustee of Alfred University
Wilfred Huang, Professor Emeritus and Retired CIAU Director
Xulong Lai, Vice President of CUG - Deputy Chair
Yiqun Gan, Dean of International Education School, CUG
Lijun Zhang, Deputy Dean of International Education School, CUG
Partner Institute
China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
Director
Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu
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Zhongbei (Daisy) Wu is an award-winning Guzheng (a traditional Chinese instrument) artist and Visiting Associate Professor of Music in Alfred University. She received her B.A. in Hunan Normal University and her M.A. at the Graduate School of Chinese National Academy of Arts. Her research interest is Musicology, Music Education and Ethnomusicology. She has been teaching Chinese music and Guzheng courses in the Performing Arts Division of Alfred University since 2010. She is the founder and artistic director of Alfred University Guzheng Ensemble, and she is the judge of New York Chinese Musical Instruments International Competition. She has held hundreds of concerts and lectures in China, U.S. and Canada, including China Central TV Station in Beijing, the Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, the United Nations Headquarters in New York, and the National Press Club in Washington DC.
Assistant Director
Susan Steere
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Susan Steere studied Ceramic Science and Physics at Alfred University, receiving B.S., B.A., and M.S. degrees. Since 1986, her career has centered around caring for her family and teaching her children at home. Now that they have finished high school, she teaches mathematics at Alfred State College and is active in the Almond 20th Century Club, which provides a public library for the community and other civic groups. Thanks to her Latin-teacher mother, a college semester spent in Germany, and many friends from Asia, she has always had an interest in languages and cultures and in helping people from other countries. Susan feels honored to assist the faculty of the Confucius Institute with English translation.
Visiting Professors Teaching at Alfred University
Jijun (Andy) Yu
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Professor Jijun (Andy) Yu is associate professor from China University of Geosciences (CUG), founding chair of the Department of J & C and the Department of TCSL at CUG. He is the vice dean for postgraduate affairs of School of Arts and Communication at CUG from 2010 to 2015. He was the visiting professor of Chinese at Bryant University, RI from 2007 to 2009. Now he is visiting professor of Chinese at Division of Modern Languages of Alfred University and CIAU.
He got his BA in Chinese literature from the Department of Chinese Language and Literature, Peking University in 1990. After that, he has been teaching Chinese, Journalism and Communication theory, Communication Research method, Creative Thinking and Planning to international students, undergraduate students, and graduate students at CUG.
He was awarded CUG young teacher of the year 2003 and CUG teacher of the year 2004. He hosted more than 20 projects on Chinese culture and tourism planning and got 4 China’s state lever awards. He is the author or co-author of 9 books and 23 papers.
His research interest is Chinese language and Literature, Journalism, Communication theory, Intercultural Communication, and Interpersonal Communication.
He is the co-chair of the 1stNational Conference on k-12 Chinese Immersion programs, the 2ndN CCIP and the 6th ICCIP.
Huiyang Li
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Huiyang Li is a visiting professor teaching Chinese at Division of Modern Languages of Alfred University. He is from Hanqiao Language Institute of Gansu Province, China. He have taught Chinese at Khartoum University, Sudan and Kabul University, Afghanistan. From 2011-2015 he worked at Alfred University as the same position. He was the awarded Membership of ΦΣι International Foreign Language Honor Society at AU in 2014, as well as a researcher of Center for Afghanistan Study of Lanzhou University.
Mingren (Morgan) Huang
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Mingren (Morgan) Huang is a young musician. As a visiting assistant professor of the Performing Arts at Alfred University, He teaches Piano and Guzheng in AU. Graduated from China University of Geosciences. He is good at singing, playing the piano, Dan Bou (one string zither), Guzheng and he is Non-genetic inheritors of Dan Bou. He has visited couple of countries, such as the United States, Bulgaria etc. for academic exchange and performances.
Visiting Teachers Teaching at K-12 School Partners
Yanping (Lena) Chen
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Yanping (Lena) Chen is a visiting teacher teaching Mandarin classes at North Street School in Geneva City School District (Geneva, NY). She had taught English at Linquan No.1 High School, Anhui Province, China for 8 years. She is always curious about everything in the wonderful world. She is an energetic, out-going, hard-working and optimistic person who loves travelling, running, playing the cucurbit flute and paper-cutting.
Chuyue (Avril) Zhang
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Chuyue (Avril) Zhang is a Mandarin exploratory teacher for Geneva Middle School in Geneva City School District (Geneva, NY). She has been an English teacher for 13 years in No.2 Senior High School of Liaohe Oilfield, Panjin, Liaoning province. She loves calligraphy, drawing, dancing, and never stops exploring.
Leyi Zhong
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Leyi Zhong is a visiting teacher teaching Mandarin classes in Geneva middle school in Geneva City School District in New York State. She has been teaching in a key high school in Hunan province for 16 years. She once taught Chinese and Chinese culture in London as well. In 2016, She taught Chinese and Chinese culture in the Basic international Academy in Nevada. In 2017, She taught Chinese immersion program in the Syracuse Junior and High school in Utah. She likes spending time with students and feels joyful to see the students’ progress in Language learning. She loves traveling, watching movies, playing badminton, skiing, hiking, swimming, and singing karaoke, playing traditional Chinese musical instrument—Gu Zheng.
Yan (Arya) Jiang
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Yan (Arya) Jiang graduated from Southwest University in Chongqing with a master's degree in Teaching Chinese to speakers of other languages. She has eight years of Chinese teaching experience. Currently she is teaching Mandarin classes as a visiting teacher at North Street School in Geneva City School District, NY. She advocates using games to stimulate students' interest in learning, so that students can experience the joy of learning Mandarin. Arya Jiang has many hobbies, such as playing guitar, guzheng, practicing calligraphy, and playing badminton.
Shuping (Rachel) Song
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Shuping(Rachel) Song is a visiting Mandarin teacher at Lewiston-Porter Central School District. She has been teaching Chinese as second language over ten years. She taught Chinese culture and language in Lewiston Porter Central School District from 2016 to 2019 and got the title of “Outstanding Chinese Teacher Overseas” in 2018. Because of her excellent work, Lewiston-Port wants her to come back to work again. Shuping Song has obtained her Master Degree of Arts in Teaching Chinese as A Second Language from Northeast Normal University. She had taught Chinese culture and language at Northeast Normal University, Dong-A University in South Korean and had gotten the title of “Outstanding Volunteer Chinese Teacher”. She likes TaiChi, calligraphy, and she was often invited by some high schools and some communities in Buffalo to perform and teach TaiChi during she worked in Buffalo. And she still teaches TaiChi in the community now.
Jing Wu
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Jing Wu is a visiting Mandarin teacher of St' Joseph's Collegiate Institution in Buffalo, NY. She is an experienced educator for more than 20 years with great enthusiasm. She has been teaching English and American culture and language in China for many years and taught Chinese culture and language at Northstar Christian Academy from 2014 to 2017. She is the first Chinese teacher of the school and designed the Chinese Language courses for K to 12, as well as Chinese AP class. Her teaching was highly praised by the school board and widely welcomed by the community. Cross-Cultural communication and translation are her specific areas of interest.
Di (Dandy) Wu
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Di (Dandy) Wu is a visiting teacher and currently teaching Mandarin at Northstar Christian Academy in Rochester, NY. She graduated from Sichuan Normal University in China in 2017. She taught at Zhongshan Middle School, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province since 2017. She loves Chinese literature, the Chinese traditional Instrument (Guqin), Chinese chess and sports (tennis and table tennis).
Ye Li
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Ye Li is a visiting Mandarin teacher for Lewiston Porter Central School District. He graduated from Hong Kong University of Education with a Master's degree, Heilongjiang University with a Bachelor's degree in Chinese as a Foreign Language. He has 9 years of experience teaching Chinese as a foreign language and 3 years of experience teaching Chinese literature in international schools. He specializes in teaching Chinese for beginners, Chinese for children, HSK exam courses, and Chinese for business.
(Visiting teachers teaching at K-12 school are not Alfred University affiliated)