The University of North Carolina Board of Governors has selected 17 outstanding faculty members to receive the 2025 Awards for Excellence in Teaching.
Evelyn Chiang, professor of psychology, is the 2025 recipient for UNC Asheville.
“Chiang embodies what we value most in teaching at UNC Asheville” said Jackie Langille, associate professor of environmental science and chair of the UNC Asheville Teaching Awards Committee, “She has demonstrated a consistent commitment to student learning and support, fostering innovation amongst colleagues.”
Chiang’s teaching strategies include using Universal Design for learning, which provides multiple avenues to conceptualize course materials. This pedagogical technique is designed to support students with disabilities, but benefits all students, allowing them to engage and learn the material in a way that works for them, ultimately removing the roadblocks to learning they have experienced in the past.
Elsewhere on campus, Chiang has advocated for students with disabilities and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. Her activities in these areas include establishing the Disability Cultural Center and developing a website with resources to support AAPI students. She has also served as co-director and faculty fellow in the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Melissa Himelein, faculty emeritus and colleague, explains that “[Chiang] has exactly the mindset needed to support current students, someone who focuses not on students’ possible historic under-preparation but rather on how faculty can best meet their students’ needs in the present. She models the sort of student-centric pedagogy that is desperately needed in higher education.”
In the nomination letter, her current department chair and colleague Mark Harvey states, “Having been her colleague for many years, I believe one of her secrets to success is her openness to new ideas, new methods, and current best practices coupled with a creative and critical mind that innovates … yet observes, reflects, and carefully selects out the effective from the ineffective.”
The UNC System Board of Governors Award is now in its 31st year. Established by the Board in 1993 to highlight the importance of teaching, the award recognizes the extraordinary contributions of faculty members System-wide. Special committees at each institution nominate recipients, who are then selected by the Board of Governors Committee on Educational Planning, Policies, and Programs.
“As a former educator, I have the deepest appreciation for our university professor and their commitment to our students,” said UNC Board of Governors Chair Wendy Murphy. “These talented faculty have dedicated their lives to mentoring and supporting our students, and we are grateful for their service.”
For a full list of 2025 recipients, view the official press release from the University of North Carolina System: www.northcarolina.edu/news/unc-board-of-governors-selects-winners-of-2025-teaching-awards/
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