Dr. Xiao Ying Awarded “the 2017 Confucius Institute Individual Performance Excellence Award”

In the 12th Confucius Institute Conference held in Xi’an on December 12, Dr. Xiao Ying, the Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Pittsburgh (CI-PITT), won “the 2017 Confucius Institute Individual Performance Excellence Award”. In 2017, this award was granted to 30 individuals chosen from the work staff in 525 Confucius Institutes and 1, 113 Confucius Classrooms.

Dr. Xiao Ying, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Pittsburgh in America winning the “2017 Confucius Institute Individual Performance Excellence Award”

CI-Pitt was co-founded by Wuhan University and the University of Pittsburgh in 2007. Dr. Xiao Ying was the Chinese director from July, 2009 to July, 2011. And her second term began in July, 2014 and is still currently serving as the director. During her stay there, CI-PITT was honored as Confucius Institute of the Year in 2010 and 2015. Dr. Xiao Ying received the Special Award for Excellent Services from the University of Pittsburgh in the years of 2010, 2011, 2015, 2016, and 2017.

Dr. Xiao Ying receiving the Special Award for Excellent Services from the University of Pittsburgh

During her five years of services, CI-PITT has expanded her businesses and services. From 2011, there have been 7 Confucius Classrooms. Systematic Chinese programs were launched in 79 schools, ranging from K-12 to colleges, beginning in Pennsylvania, and spreading to some regions of Ohio and New York. CI-PITT has also helped over 30 schools to start programs with local Chinese teachers. The Chinese classes amounted to 440 in 2015 and the number of students approximated to 19, 052. Because of the success of the CI-PITT, an HSK test center was founded in 2015 at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Xiao Ying has been dedicated to supporting cultural events in Pittsburgh. Among these events are CI Day, Pittsburgh Chinese Cultural Festival, and the Chinese New Year Festival, all of which help to promote the status of the Confucius Institute in the local community. The number of participants in these cultural events reached 39,030 in 2017. The Pittsburgh city council set February 2 as “Chinese Day” and the second Sunday of September as the day for the “Chinese Cultural Festival” in 2016. In 2017, Allegheny County announced January 29 as “Chinese New Year Celebration Day”.

Dr. Xiao Ying has been endeavoring to expand the volunteer Chinese teacher program. During her two terms, the number of volunteer Chinese teachers reached 180 and this program has constantly ranked among the top three in the United States. She also helped to establish a well-rounded American teacher qualification system for Chinese volunteer teachers, which guarantees the sustainable development of the Chinese program and also acts as a model for other CI’s in the United States.

In 2017, Dr. Xiao Ying led 32 Chinese teachers and volunteers to be engaged in the Chinese teaching and cultural exchange in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York State in America. CI-PITT has now become the leader and the backbone force of Chinese teaching program on the east coast of America.

Dr. Xiao Ying with 32 volunteer Chinese teachers and other staff at CI-PITT in 2017