I AM UAA: Annie Ping Zeng

Director of the UAA Confucius Institute
Assistant Professor of Chinese
Hometown: Xi'an, China
Fun fact: Favorite pastimes include watching the HGTV home renovation network with her husband

 

Dr. Annie Ping Zeng is new to UAA and new to Alaska, but what she brings with her-a passion for her work and a sense of adventure-is already an indication of what a great fit she'll be to this vibrant campus community. As director of UAA's Confucius Institute, she is excited about the possibilities that will come with sharing the Chinese language and culture with students at many levels.

Working backward, Annie came to UAA this fall from a position with the Confucius Institute at Michigan State University, and before that as a Chinese teacher for five years at Brigham Young University, where she also earned her Ph.D. in second language education methodology.

"I stepped into the business of teaching Chinese quite by accident," she says. "My scholarship ran out by my third year and someone offered me the chance to teach business Chinese. I got good feedback and was asked to teach more. By the time I left I had taught 10 different Chinese classes at different levels and was in charge of teaching a Chinese Flagship program sponsored by the U.S. government to train various agency employees in Chinese."

It was actually teaching English in China that she pursued at first. Her master's was in Contemporary English and Linguistics (from the University of Reading in Britain) and she majored in English as an undergraduate at Xi'an International Studies University in China as well. And even though her Ph.D. was focused on second language education in China, her experience teaching Chinese in the U.S. instead led her to the Confucius Institute, where she ultimately became responsible for training Chinese teachers to teach their native language in the States.

Second language teaching methodology seems to be somewhat universal, whether it's teaching Chinese in the U.S. or English in China. What excite Annie the most are the opportunities that a second language can bring to anyone, especially college students preparing to enter their respective professional fields.

"I love for students to take Chinese for fun, because it's different than other languages," she explains, "but eventually I hope that they'll be aware that this can bring them more opportunities in the future of their career development." She notes that throughout the years she's been teaching she has seen a lot of people from other fields-nurses, bankers, missionaries, government employees-study Chinese because they want to be most effective in working with the Chinese-speakers in their communities.

Annie describes UAA's Confucius Institute (CI) as a relatively blank slate. There are close to 100 CI's in the U.S. at most major universities, and UAA's is rather new at two years old. She is excited about the many prospects of Chinese language and cultural teaching opportunities-from bolstering UAA's Chinese language offerings from 100-level to 200-level and above to cultural outreach to K-12 schools in the Anchorage School District to expanding the exchange program with Chinese universities.

"The university gives us full support from the top," she says. "The chancellor, the provost, the College of Education dean and my department chair-they are so helpful and so supportive. I am very comfortable to be here."

With her youngest daughter studying at the University of California and her oldest daughter working in Shanghai, Annie made the move to Alaska with her husband, Jason Xining Li. She says their comfort extends even to the winter weather here, challenging that the weather in Michigan can be just as cold and bitter. But unlike Michigan, the extensive network of trails and the good conditions of the roads are what really impress her. Furthermore, Jason is working for UAA student catering, instead of restaurant management like he was in Michigan, so it allows them more time to enjoy evenings and weekends together. Avid joggers and hikers, Annie and her husband are excited to explore this new place they call home.

"Life here will be more exciting than in other places," she says. "I'm ready to be Alaskan!"