Cindy I-Fen Cheng has been in the unusual and challenging position of having to do an enormous amount of curriculum development. When she arrived at UW-Madison, there was no established curriculum for Asian American History in either the Department of History or the Program in Asian American Studies. To design such a curriculum, Cheng developed a mix of lecture and seminar courses. Cheng’s dexterity in the classroom and her ability to make the material come alive for students from a variety of audiences ensures that their diverse needs are addressed and their expectations fulfilled. Cheng is the epitome of the teacher-scholar, deeply engaged with her students and her research field. She challenges and inspires students to read closely, think critically, write effectively and, above all, approach their scholarly endeavors with dedication and rigor.
Cindy if one of twelve faculty members that have been chosen to receive this year’s Distinguished Teaching Awards, an honor given out since 1953 to recognize the university’s finest educators.
Chancellor Rebecca Blank and Provost Sarah Mangelsdorf presented the awards at a ceremony on March 16, 2017 at the Fluno Center. The ceremony was sponsored by the Wisconsin Alumni Association with support from the Office of the Secretary of the Faculty.