Cornell University Professor Mao Ye and Wife Xi Yang Give Back with New Teaching Awards

Strategic Insights -

Mao Ye, '11, professor of finance in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, and his wife Xi Yang, '10, lecturer of finance, have created two new university-wide awards to recognize outstanding teaching assistants at Cornell. The Cornelia Ye Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, originally established in 2019, now honors international graduate teaching assistants, while the new Christine Ye Outstanding Teaching Award for graduate teaching assistants at Cornell recognizes domestic graduate teaching assistants. Both awards come with increased financial recognition for the recipients.

Key Takeaways:

  • Mao Ye and Xi Yang, both Cornell alumni, established the Cornelia Ye Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award in 2019 to recognize excellence in teaching by graduate teaching assistants.
  • The awards, now with increased financial recognition, honor both international and domestic graduate teaching assistants, highlighting the critical role TAs play in the learning process.
  • Ye and Yang drew inspiration from their own experiences as international graduate teaching assistants at Cornell, where they found support from the International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP).
  • As a professor, Ye credits his experience with ITAP and his advisor, Maureen O'Hara, for convincing him to become a professor, and he now wants to give back through the Cornelia Ye Award.
  • Ye's daughters, Cornelia and Christine, are also involved in giving back, with Cornelia serving as her class president and working on Ithaca's Youth Common Council to address youth and community issues.
  • Ye emphasizes the importance of giving back, citing the Cornell campaign invective "to do the greatest good," and believes that his actions will have a positive impact on his students, just as Cornell had on him.

Statistics:

  • The Cornelia Ye Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award has been established for five years, recognizing excellence in teaching by both international and domestic graduate teaching assistants.
  • Both the Cornelia Ye and Christie Ye awards will now offer increased financial recognition for recipients.
  • International TAs play a crucial role in the learning process, particularly in larger lectures, where they lead discussion sections and guide problem sets for smaller groups of students.
  • The International Teaching Assistant Program (ITAP) provides essential support for international graduate teaching assistants, helping them with language skills, cultural norms, and expectations.
  • Mao Ye was elected as a student trustee in 2006, becoming the first international student to hold the position, demonstrating Cornell's welcoming and open-minded culture.

Sources:

  • Cornell University, "Mao Ye, '11, Professor of Finance, and His Wife Xi Yang, '10, Create New Teaching Awards," July 14, 2023.
  • Mao Ye, interview with Cornell University.