Category: UW staff

The Office of Global Affairs is excited to celebrate Dr. Wei Zuo for our April 2024 edition of the Global Visionaries series. The Global Visionaries series highlights the UW’s global impact by featuring innovative, globally-engaged faculty, staff, and students.

Dr. Zuo, Adjunct Assistant Professor, English and Instructional Consultant, Center for Teaching and Learning, UW Seattle (CTL), describes her experience promoting inclusive and culturally-responsive teaching practices, supporting the diverse needs of international student populations, leading study abroad programs, and providing trainings to educators around the globe.

Dr. Zuo obtained a M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), a M.A. in Education Leadership & Policy Studies (EDLPS), a M.A. in Economics, and a Ph.D. in English: Language & Rhetoric from the University of Washington. She has held the role of Instructional Consultant at the Center for Teaching and Learning, UW Seattle for the past 8.5 years. Dr. Zuo’s prior experience includes working as a Graduate Student Advisor for the UW McNair/Earl Identification Program, serving as a Chinese Instructor at Seattle Pacific University, working as a Graduate Student Assistant at the UW Language Learning Center, teaching English at the New Oriental School in Shanghai, China, and serving as a part-time Chinese instructor at Fudan University in China.

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I am originally from Changsha, the capital of Hunan province in China, known for its spicy food and located along the Xiang River, which goes into the Yangtze River. In 2008, I earned a B.A. in Journalism and a second B.A. in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (TCSOL) from Fudan University in China. After graduation, I joined the New Oriental School in Shanghai — one of the biggest English educational institutions in China — and worked as an English teacher for two years to help Chinese students who planned to study abroad.

In 2010, I entered the University of Washington as an international student. I love learning so much and taking on challenges. I was also eager to get a well-rounded education. Within five years, I was able to earn three master’s degrees — a M.A. in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL), a M.A. in Education Leadership & Policy Studies (EDLPS); and a M.A. in Economics — as well as a Ph.D. in English: Language & Rhetoric. Even though I came to Seattle with a relatively good grasp of English and cross-cultural understanding as a previous educator, I found it much harder to adjust than I expected. I felt isolated, partly because my classmates were much older than me and they had family and jobs, and it was very hard to find scholarships as an international student. It took me a few quarters to find my way. I found mentors such as Dr. Min Li from the UW College of Education and Dr. Dan Zhu who was a year ahead of me in the program. They validated my concerns, shared information, boosted my confidence, and provided me with a lot of support and encouragement. I also found community in the International Educators at College of Education (IECE), a student organization in the UW College of Education for international educators, and served as President in my second year at the UW as a way to give back.

After graduating from the UW in the spring of 2015, I joined CTL as an Instructional Consultant in order to hone my skills in teaching and learning and to further increase UW’s capacity in inclusion and equity by supporting all instructors, including international educators, and those who teach international students.

My experience made me aware of the stereotype that Chinese students are quiet and often sit in the back and don’t participate. However, in my experience as an international student, Chinese students had many different approaches to their education. Some were more talkative and willing to lead group discussions. Some preferred to not say much and focus on their studies. Some loved to go to office hours frequently to ask questions, while some would not go until they had no other options. It impressed upon me how much nuance there is to consider —their personality, their parents’ occupation and education background, their prior experience abroad, and many more.

My experience also taught me how important it is to ask for help when you are struggling. It’s easy to be shy and to worry about others judging you. However, something as simple as going to office hours can make a huge difference. There can be a perception among some international students from China that if they attend office hours and ask a lot of questions, their professor would think they did not understand the coursework. However, I found if one attended office hours, and was prepared and respectful of the professor or TA’s time, he or she could get the needed answers and walk away with more confidence.

After struggling to navigate my first few quarters at the UW, I started connecting with other international students, particularly other international students from China, to learn about their experiences navigating the university academically, socially, and culturally. I conducted a pilot study during one of my M.A. degrees and Professor Priti Sandhu at the UW English Department saw potential in me and encouraged me to consider pursuing a Ph.D. degree. I never thought of that as even an option before. I thought it would be too advanced and too complicated. I took the smaller pilot study and turned it into a larger Ph.D. dissertation, still focusing on the experiences of international students from China at the University of Washington, but with a more systematic and scientific approach to my research, including data collection, and data analysis. I was lucky that my dissertation has been supported strongly by my advisor Professor Sandra Silberstein throughout the process. As I was wrapping up my Ph.D. dissertation, I felt a strong desire to share my research findings in a more tangible, friendly, and approachable way that would make it digestible for the entire UW community — such as faculty, advisers, and students.

I reached out to the UW Chinese Students & Scholars Association (CSSA) and suggested that I host an event where I could share the highlights of my research findings in Chinese and give tips and advice to international students from China. About 100 people showed up to the event hosted in Chinese at Savery Hall. I wanted to further expand the dissertation’s influence and share with a wider audience. With the support of Undergraduate Academic and Affairs (UAA) and Undergraduate Advising , I hosted a sharing event in English for advisers and staff who support international students at the UW. One of the attendees was Katie Malcolm from CTL. She encouraged me to take things a step further and to adapt my research findings to more of a pedagogical focus on teaching and learning. We ended up working together to host a workshop at the HUB on how international students experience learning at the University of Washington. About 80 faculty, TAs and staff educators participated and had a great discussion. This event helped connect me closer to the scholarship of teaching and learning.

After I connected with the UW Chinese Students & Scholars Association, I was asked to host their annual Chinese New Year Gala. I was very outgoing and I wasn’t afraid to emcee on a stage bilingually. After the gala, the owner of Chinese Radio Seattle approached me and asked if I would be open to serving as a volunteer. At that time, they rented a radio station in Bellevue but they needed more Chinese and English speakers for their programming. I started out by interviewing people about Chinese arts — such as a group of students from Nanjing University about their traditional Chinese instruments or someone who has spent 50 years of their life dedicated to calligraphy— to help spread a deeper understanding of Chinese culture in the United States.

My experience volunteering as a DJ for Chinese Radio Seattle from 2012-2018 was very enriching. It was really fun to meet all kinds of people and to make new friends. I really enjoyed helping to create cross-cultural connections in the Seattle metropolitan area. For example, I hosted bilingual events for Microsoft Asian Spring Festival, Seattle Chinese Radio, and Seattle Songs and Dances Ensemble. I often felt like a bridge, connecting the cultures of the United States and China. People who listened to our station came with all kinds of backgrounds and levels of experience with China. It involved a lot of code switching and thinking on my feet to make sure I was catering to our diverse audience of listeners who tuned into the radio or listened through the internet.

I often felt like a bridge, connecting the cultures of the United States and China.

I also co-led a study abroad program to China for three years with Dr. Kristi Straus from the UW College of the Environment. The program was a “Global Flip” in collaboration with Dr. Xi Lu at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China. Undergraduate students from Tsinghua and the UW watched the same lecture videos and then interacted at their respective universities before collaborating together in person in China over the course of ten days. The program focused on sustainability, understanding the ways that the U.S. and China contribute to unsustainability, and exploring the unique American and Chinese approaches to solutions. My primary role was to help design the learning components of the program, especially cultural awareness and to serve as a cultural ambassador for the UW students — some were international students from China, some were Chinese heritage students who wanted to learn more about their culture, and some were American students who wanted to learn more about China.

In my work with CTL, I worked with my previous colleague Karen Freisem (who retired a few years ago) to take the lead on hosting an online learning community called “Evidence-based teaching: Flipping the Classroom”. We organized monthly Zoom discussions with participants from seven Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) institutions, including Tsinghua University, Waseda University, University of Malaya, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, National University of Singapore, University of Southern California, and the University of Washington. Ultimately, we explored more about how flipped classrooms provide flexibility in the learning environment, foster problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and facilitate peer learning and group work. We were able to present our findings from this initiative in Singapore at the APRU Annual Technology Forum and also in Norway at the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) conferences.

Some simple yet effective practices include:

• Learning to correctly pronounce the names of your students. You can learn from your students how to pronounce their names and have them help you to make sure you say their names correctly.
• Creating opportunities for students to introduce themselves and to meet their peers to establish relationships from the very beginning.
• Setting clear and explicit expectations. For example, explaining what office hours are for and who can/should go there (given that different cultures have various understandings of office hours) or clarifying what is considered acceptable for teamwork and collaboration in your class.

It makes a huge difference when instructors create a welcoming and inclusive space for all students, whether it’s sharing their own cultural identity, experience working or studying abroad, learning a new language, or navigating a different environment. All of the practices I suggested above are not only helpful in supporting international students, but in supporting all students. I believe it can help all learners when instructors incorporate continuous reflection and an inclusive mindset into their pedagogy.

It makes a huge difference when instructors create a welcoming and inclusive space for all students.

I am very proud of many things! I am delighted that I can help UW instructors and students, bring evidence-based teaching methods and best teaching practices to instructors, offer support and understanding for educators who care deeply about their students’ learning, share cultural awareness and respect to diversity with people I work with, and make the UW a more inclusive learning space for all learners, no matter where they come from and what languages they speak. Whenever there are gaps between instructors and students, I see myself as a bridge between different cultures. I want to fill those gaps using my skills and knowledge, personal background and experience, as well as my positive attitude.

The Office of Global Affairs is excited to celebrate Ray Li for our April 2023 edition of the Global Visionaries series. The Global Visionaries series highlights the University of Washington’s global impact by featuring innovative, globally-engaged faculty, staff, and students.

Ray Li, Assistant Vice President for International Advancement and 2023 recipient of University Advancement’s Marilyn Batt Dunn award, describes his experience with community building, fostering relationships with alumni, and international fundraising.

Ray Li obtained a Master of Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University and a Bachelor of Biopsychology from The University of British Columbia. He held the role of Senior Director of International Advancement at the University of Washington for 11 years. Ray’s prior experience includes serving as the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Advancement for Neighborhood House, working as the Assistant Director of Development for the American Red Cross -Greater Hartford Chapter, and supporting the Canadian Red Cross and the American Red Cross -Seattle King County Chapter.

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I grew up in Vancouver, Canada. I was on a pre-med track in high school and was involved in student government. During that time, I was selected to be part of a leadership development program run by the Canadian Red Cross. It was a very pivotal experience for me and I learned a lot about leadership and civic engagement. Supporting the Canadian Red Cross became a passion of mine so I continued to volunteer with them through high school and university. Upon graduating from The University of British Columbia, I realized that I wanted to spend my time making a meaningful impact on my community.

Every job I have had in my career has been focused on community building, leadership development, and organizational change.

I went from working with the Canadian Red Cross to the American Red Cross, where I led a youth leadership development program. I then had a chance to go to graduate school, where I earned a Master of Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University. At the same time, I started working as the Director of Development for Neighborhood House. Neighborhood House is a social service organization with a long history of supporting immigrants and refugees when they first arrive in the United States of America. I was charged with building the organization up. It was quite an experimental role where I was able to apply my graduate school learning on an evening and weekend basis to my weekday job. During my 12 years at Neighborhood House, our team went through three capital campaigns, raising close to $20 million – something that the organization had never done before. When I left, the organization had grown from 90 staff to 300 staff, our annual operating funds had increased more than four-fold and the organization had buildings they could call their own.

The real core of my work at Neighborhood House was community building. I did a lot of thinking about how to be forthright and authentic with the communities we were serving. I strove to include community members in our fundraising efforts and to invite community members to serve on our board to ensure their voices were heard. I learned some of my greatest fundraising lessons from that role. I learned to treat everyone with equity and to create space for all kinds of donors so they could make their own choices. I learned so much from that job about being aware of my own preconceived notions and about how to create inclusive environments where everyone feels a sense of belonging in some way.

I became aware of the opportunity to create the International Advancement program at the University of Washington due to my fundraising work in Seattle. I was drawn to the job because it was about building a program from the ground up, which felt familiar after my work at Neighborhood House. It felt like a pivotal moment in my career and I was eager to start a new professional adventure.

I started building the International Advancement program from the ground up at the University of Washington 11 years ago. My early days with International Advancement were focused on creating opportunities with foreign ministries and setting up visits with quasi-governmental international entities. I did not have a strong background in international fundraising but I knew that community building was a core element of this kind of work. Looking back, there was a lot of unknown at the time but there was also a lot of goodwill. What was most challenging during those first few years was that I had to balance where the University of Washington wanted to go and what the community was ready for.

During my first international trips on behalf of International Advancement, I heard three major consistent themes from international alumni -they loved Seattle and the University of Washington, they had no idea what the University of Washington was doing, and they were eager to create more sustainable relationships. There was also a disconnected feeling amongst international Huskies. I saw there was an opportunity to build more trust. I also realized that I needed to spend time creating a culture of philanthropy -similar to what we have in the United States of America -but also in the various countries where international Huskies reside. It involved creating a multicultural culture of philanthropy – learning about cultural dynamics, the histories of countries, and the legal realities of what’s possible.

It was clear that we needed to build a robust and sustainable International Advancement program that would make the University of Washington successful as a global presence for years to come. We started with building up communities where there were already concentrations of international Huskies. I prioritized cultivating environments where the university could infuse philanthropy, engagement, and life-long learning. Those three elements are actually thematically present in all of our work in International Advancement –in our fundraising, alumni relations, and marketing and communications.

UW Converge is the University of Washington’s signature event for international alumni and friends. Each year it is hosted in a global city by one of our international alumni communities. It offers a direct connection to the UW, its faculty and leadership, and its global alumni network.

UW Converge was born out of good fortune. Michael Young, former President of the University of Washington, was eager to elevate the university’s global presence. He was also very involved in the Pac-12. In 2015, the Pac-12 launched a globalization initiative and one of their first events was to host an exhibition basketball game between the University of Texas and the University of Washington in Shanghai, China. I worked closely with President Young and Jeff Riedinger, Vice Provost for Global Affairs, to collaborate with partners from across campus to make the most of the moment. We ended up using the opportunity to publicly launch the Global Innovation Exchange (GIX) in China. We hosted an international innovation summit that featured faculty and students from across the University of Washington who were working on innovative projects. We were lucky to have about 300 people attend from all over Shanghai and China. We also held our first global alumni board meeting with all of our chapter leaders. They came together to share best practices and to connect with President Cauce, who was on her first international trip, as the newly installed UW president, on behalf of the University of Washington. UW Converge in 2015 in Shanghai really laid the groundwork for strong stewardship with a number of international Huskies.

During UW Converge in 2015, the Thailand chapter president raised his hand and asked to host the event the next year. UW Converge in 2016 was therefore hosted in Bangkok and also the island of Koh Samui. The Beijing chapter volunteered to host UW Converge in 2017, which focused on leadership. Then the Japan chapter hosted UW Converge in 2018. That UW Converge focused on innovations in leadership and was modeled after TED Talks.

 

For 2019, the Taiwan chapter raised their hand to host UW Converge and focused on artificial intelligence -the business of artificial intelligence, the laws, ethics, and policies of artificial intelligence, and research and innovations in engineering. During that Converge, we were also able to feature the University of Washington’s Taiwan Studies Program and meet with various government ministries. President Cauce also had the opportunity to personally present the coveted Laureate vase to one of the foundations that had been giving to the university for many years.

After two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we were able to host UW Converge in 2022 in Seattle. It was really great to bring folks together on campus after two years of virtual pivot. As far as this year’s UW Converge, I’m looking forward to the Indonesia chapter hosting the event in Jakarta on August 12, 2023.

In retrospect, UW Converge began due to interest from our various chapters of international Huskies. They had a strong desire to build relationships within specific disciplines but also to create opportunities for alumni within a country to connect across disciplines too. They were also interested in creating spaces for alumni from different countries to come together and establish relationships across international borders. Because of UW Converge, the University of Washington is now more strategically aware of all the relationships and units across campus that are focused on specific countries.

My approach involves a mix of community building, cultivating trust, and brand promotion. The basic principles of traditional fundraising still apply but there is also a lot of nuance to international fundraising. It’s important to be mindful of jargon and to use culturally sensitive language. To be aware of the realities of the geopolitical landscape. To emphasize shared values. At every international interaction I have, I share that if it was just for tuition, the UW would be a good university, but it is because of philanthropy that the UW is a great university. It’s the difference between being able to retain faculty, create international exchanges, launch innovative initiatives, and construct new buildings.

I also try to have a strong understanding of the unique tax laws of international countries. Is philanthropy incentivized or disincentived? Is it incentivized within a country or outside of a country? I make sure to tailor my approach to philanthropic conversations with international donors by meeting them where they are at before taking a deep dive into how they want to give to the University of Washington. In my opinion, it all boils down to having a strong foundation of trust. My job is to clearly convey the impact of what a personally significant gift would mean to the University of Washington.

I should also mention that International fundraising happens over a different medium than traditional fundraising. I often find myself navigating gifts via platforms like WeChat and WhatsApp. Since the pace of those conversations can happen very quickly, I always try to make sure to set the expectations of our prospects from the start so that they keep in mind that the University of Washington is a large university and it can take time to launch new initiatives or process donations.

My leadership style is guided by the values of community and community building. I am a huge advocate of cultivating relationships of trust. I understand that things can take time when working at a large university. I take pride that I am resilient and perseverant. I like to operate with a glass half full mentality. I recognize when the time is right and when the time is not right. I also have a strong value of failing forward and exploring and implementing innovative ideas after reflecting upon community feedback.

I like to plant seeds for the future and navigate with a forward vision of what might be possible down the road.

I am most proud of the feeling of camaraderie around the world amongst our UW community that now exists because of the International Advancement program. It is rewarding to know that when members of our UW community (faculty, staff, alumni, family) go to a country where there is a large number of international Huskies, they will feel welcomed and know that alumni understand what is happening at the university. I am also very pleased that there is now a strong sense of purpose, a passion for philanthropy and a deep community of connection that didn’t exist before.