Genesee Valley Center Honors Exceptional Alumni at Annual Community Event

(ROCHESTER, N.Y. – May 16, 2013) Jasmine Tang ‘96, a member of the Monroe Community College and State University of New York College at Geneseo faculty, has received special recognition as an alumna of SUNY Empire State College’s School for Graduate Studies for her contributions to the field of world languages and culture.

“I am so thrilled by this honor,” said Tang. “I am very pleased that I can pass on to my students and the community the traditional and practical education provide to me by my parents, Dr. and Mrs. George Tien Fu Li and from the teachers and professors at my schools in Taiwan, England, North Africa, the University of New Mexico, Geneseo and Empire State College.”

Tang was honored at the college’s Genesee Valley Center annual community celebration event by Dean Jonathan Franz as well as students, fellow college alumni, faculty and staff and community and government leaders. The event was held yesterday evening at the Memorial Art Gallery.

“We are pleased to present to Professor Jasmine Tang the Award for Outstanding Academic Contributions to the Field of World Languages and Culture,” said Franz “Jasmine Tang has dedicated her entire professional life to education as a teacher, scholar and author on the subjects of languages and cultures. A nationally recognized and award-winning educator, she is among our most accomplished alumni and distinguished colleagues.

The citation states that Tang was selected, “for distinguishing yourself through significant contributions and leadership in the field of world languages, cultures and academia.”

About Jasmine Tang

Jasmine Tang ’96 has been a Chinese language teacher for 30 years. She recently published a textbook, “Taking off with Chinese,” for people who are completely unfamiliar with the Chinese language, characters and culture.

Comprising 24 lessons, Tang’s book introduces American students to Chinese grammar, reading comprehension and written and spoken Chinese, using situations that would occur in everyday life.

Besides language, the book weaves in information about Chinese culture, values and beliefs. Tang’s book was displayed at the college’s Genesee Valley Center Art Show in May 2012.

She is the recipient of the Award of Distinction from the Chinese Language Education and Research Center for outstanding contributions to the promotion of Chinese language education in the United States.

Tang also won the Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Language Education award from the Chinese Language Teachers Association in recognition of her lifetime of teaching.

Tang has been a member of the Geneseo faculty since 1991 and is currently a part-time lecturer of Chinese. Tang also serves as an adjunct assistant professor at Monroe Community College.

Tang graduated from the college’s School for Graduate Studies in 1996 with an M.A. in liberal arts with a concentration in Chinese education. Tang earned a psychology degree from Geneseo in 1987 and completed master’s degree courses in linguistic and applied linguistics at East China Normal University in China in 2009.

About SUNY Empire State College

SUNY Empire State College was established in 1971 to offer adult learners the opportunity to earn associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the State University of New York.

In addition to awarding credit for prior college-level learning, the college pairs each student with a faculty mentor who supports that student throughout his or her college career. Students engage in guided independent study and course work onsite, online or a combination of both, which provides the flexibility for students to learn at the time, place and pace they choose.

The college serves more than 20,000 students worldwide at more than 35 locations in New York state and online. Its 66,000 alumni are active in their communities as entrepreneurs, politicians, business professionals, artists, nonprofit agency employees, teachers, veterans and active military, union members and more. More information about the college is available here.

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GENESEO, N.Y. — Jasmine Tang, a member of SUNY Geneseo’s Department of Languages and Literatures for more than 22 years and a 1987 Geneseo alumna, has received the Award for Outstanding Academic Contributions to the Field of World Languages and Culture from her graduate school, SUNY Empire State College.

“Jasmine Tang has dedicated her entire professional life to education as a teacher, scholar and author on the subjects of languages and cultures,” said Jonathan Franz, dean of Empire State College’s School for Graduate Studies. “A nationally recognized and award-winning educator, she is among our most accomplished alumni and distinguished colleagues.”

Tang was honored at the college’s annual community celebration event by Dean Franz as well as students, fellow college alumni, faculty and staff, and community and government leaders.

“I am so thrilled by this honor,” said Tang. “I am very pleased that I can pass on to my students and the community the traditional and practical education provided to me by my parents, Dr. and Mrs. George Tien Fu Li, and from the teachers and professors at my schools in Taiwan, England, North Africa, the University of New Mexico, Geneseo and Empire State College.”

Tang has been a Chinese language teacher for 30 years. She currently is a part-time lecturer of Chinese at Geneseo and also is an adjunct assistant professor at Monroe Community College.

She graduated from Empire State College’s School for Graduate Studies in 1996 with master’s degree in liberal arts with a concentration in Chinese education. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Geneseo and completed master’s degree courses in linguistic and applied linguistics at East China Normal University in China in 2009.

Tang recently published a textbook, “Taking Off with Chinese,” for people who are completely unfamiliar with the Chinese language, characters and culture. She is the recipient of the Award of Distinction from the Chinese Language Education and Research Center for outstanding contributions to the promotion of Chinese language education in the United States. She also won the Outstanding Contribution to Chinese Language Education Award from the Chinese Language Teachers Association in recognition of her lifetime of teaching.

In June, Tang will be going to Soul, South Korea, for the 16th International Conference on Unified Chinese Characters and the 6th Globalization Outreach Summit in Wuxi, China.

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About Joy Wai: Joy Wai is the founder and curator of the Gallery and goes by the motto, “Art is Life and Life is Art”.
Ms. Wai grew up and learned Chinese Painting in her grandfather’s studio, Hui Xiao Tong, a great artist and remarkable collector. He co-founded The Beijing National Art College and was her first art teacher and mentor in life. Today, her business practices in the art world have made her many ties throughout China and Hong Kong.

Joy describes her life as fragmented, “its just like I have had four lives. Sometimes the distance and time between them make me feel that these lives are disconnected. It is only art that makes my whole life connected, stronger and richer.” She believes that playing and practicing with the creation of art makes life rich and beautiful. The vibrancy of New York’s art world has allowed her to follow her dream of creating a gallery space.

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