Global education leader named interim associate provost at Haenicke Institute for Global Education
KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Dr. Ying Zeng, director of Asian Initiatives at Western Michigan University’s Haenicke Institute for Global Education, has been named interim associate provost of global education. The appointment is pending Board of Trustees approval.
"Dr. Zeng has been involved in the strategic operations of HIGE, and I have no doubt that she will continue their progress in her interim role," says Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig, provost and vice president of academic affairs. “She has fostered relationships around the world, especially in China, which will serve her and Western well in this role.”
In her interim role, Zeng will oversee the Haenicke Institute for Global Education, taking charge of its academic, programmatic, administrative and fiscal leadership. She will also provide Universitywide leadership in continuing global outreach efforts. Her appointment follows the departure of Dr. Paolo Zagalo-Melo in July.
Academic affairs will launch a national search this fall with the goal of having an associate provost identified and in place by July 1, 2025.
About Zeng
Zeng currently serves as the director of Asian Initiatives at HIGE, as well as the director of the Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies, the Soga Japan Center, and the Chinese Language and Culture Programming at Western. She facilitates research collaboration among Asia-related units and faculty members, maintains institutional partnerships in Asia, and creates and manages language and culture outreach programs in Southwest Michigan. She has worked as professor at Western and became an administrator in 2014, serving as senior coordinator on Asia.
Zeng holds a Ph.D. in comparative culture with a focus on Chinese American social history and a master’s degree in Asian American literature from International Christian University in Tokyo, Japan. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in scientific instruments engineering from Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, China, and a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from International Christian University.
She has taught at WMU, Waseda University and Keio University both in Tokyo, and International Christian University, among other institutions. Her publications include numerous articles and book chapters written in Chinese, Japanese, and English on Asian American society and literature, as well as a dictionary and two textbooks. She also published a Chinese translation of Oscar Wilde’s children’s stories.
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