Professor is a familiar title to all of us—and for many alumni who have chosen to build their careers in the United States, academia has become an important professional path.
Leading universities often offer abundant resources and opportunities, while placing a strong emphasis on diversity and inclusion. Their openness to faculty members from different backgrounds and with diverse experiences provides Chinese women with a platform to showcase their talents, engage in an international academic environment, collaborate with scholars from around the world, broaden their perspectives, and expand their academic impact.
But the journey also comes with its own challenges.
Differences in educational systems and cultural backgrounds, teaching methodologies, academic environments, and ways of thinking and communicating in a language other than one's native tongue are among the challenges they must navigate. Gender discrimination and racial bias are also issues that cannot simply be overlooked.
As International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month approach, the RUC North America Alumni Association continues its tradition of hosting special programs highlighting women’s professional development. This year, we invited five RUC alumni who serve as university professors in the United States to join a panel discussion and share their experiences in teaching and research.
They will discuss what it is like to teach at American universities, the advantages and challenges of pursuing an academic career, and the unique opportunities and pressures facing educators in a country filled with both possibilities and challenges.
We will also explore the differences between Eastern and Western educational systems. From the perspective of educators, our panelists will reflect on the respective strengths and limitations of the Chinese and American higher education systems, as well as ways to navigate challenges and make the most of opportunities.
Another topic will be what American universities look for when admitting students. Drawing on their experiences as educators, our panelists will share perspectives that may offer useful insights for young parents and their children's educational journeys.
By bringing together experiences and perspectives, we hope this salon will offer meaningful insights and practical advice for the next generation of educators and parents.
More than an exchange of professional experiences, we hope it will also be an opportunity for personal connection and shared understanding.
Let’s explore, learn, and grow together.
What We’ll Discuss
SHARE
The challenges and advantages of being a Chinese professor in the United States
EXPLORE
Differences between Eastern and Western higher education
INSIGHTS
What American universities look for in prospective students
Panelists 沙龙嘉宾
Dr. Hui Liao
Dean’s Distinguished Chair Professor, Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland
A 1993 alumna of the Department of International Economics at Renmin University of China, Dr. Hui Liao received her Ph.D. from the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.
She is the first Chinese recipient of the Cummings Scholarly Achievement Award in Organizational Behavior from the Academy of Management. She has also received the Scholarly Achievement Award in Human Resources, the Early Career Distinguished Contribution Award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, the Williams A. Owens Scholarly Achievement Award, and other honors.
Dr. Liao has served as an associate editor of leading academic journals, including the Academy of Management Journal. She has been recognized among the world's top 2% of most-cited scholars and scientists and has been elected a Fellow of the Academy of Management, the American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science.
Dr. Xi Chen
Professor of Sociology, Quinnipiac University
A 1995 alumna of the Department of Sociology at Renmin University of China, Dr. Xi Chen holds both a master’s and a Ph.D. in Sociology from Texas A&M University.
Her research interests include social inequality, research methodology, demography, spatial analysis, applications of remote sensing data, and ethnic studies in China. She co-manages the Yale G-Econ Project with William Nordhaus, recipient of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences.
Her research has appeared in journals including Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Sociological Methodology, Remote Sensing, Spatial Demography, Journal of Economic Geography, Society & Natural Resources, and Asian Ethnicity.
Dr. Yu Liu
Associate Professor of Finance, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
A 1997 alumna of the International Finance program at Renmin University of China, Dr. Yu Liu holds a master’s degree in finance and a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Alabama.
Her research focuses on corporate finance and the economies of developing countries. Her work has been published in journals including the Journal of Corporate Finance, Journal of Business Research, Emerging Markets Review, Financial Review, International Review of Economics & Finance, Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Journal of Macromarketing, Applied Economics, Applied Economics Letters, Contemporary Economic Policy, and Defence and Peace Economics.
Dr. Yanni Ping
Assistant Professor, Tobin College of Business, St. John’s University
A 2007 alumna of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Dr. Yanni Ping holds a master’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech and a Ph.D. in Decision Sciences from Drexel University.
She has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Business Analytics at the Tobin College of Business since 2018 and received tenure earlier this year. Her research has been published in journals including the Journal of Services Marketing, Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, and Electronic Commerce Research. She also serves as a peer reviewer for academic journals.
Dr. Ying Liang
Assistant Professor, J. Mack Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
A 2008 alumna of the School of Finance at Renmin University of China, Dr. Ying Liang holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Ph.D. in Accounting from Baruch College, City University of New York.
She has been an Assistant Professor at Georgia State University’s business school since 2020, teaching financial accounting to undergraduate and MBA students. Her research interests include corporate disclosure and the impact of artificial intelligence on financial reporting and investment decisions.
Outside academia, she enjoys hiking through the mountains and forests around Atlanta with her golden retriever.
Moderator 沙龙主持人
Xinyi Jiang
Vice President, RUC North America Alumni Association