Dr. Hong Yang named Dr. Charles Smiley Chair for Bryant’s Confucius Institute

The position recognizes Yang for his work in advancing academic and cultural exchanges with China.

Hong Yang, professor of science and technology and director of Bryant’s U.S.-China Institute, has been appointed the Dr. Charles Smiley Chair in the Confucius Institute at Bryant University.

The creation of the position at Bryant was announced by the Confucius Institutes Headquarters in Beijing, China. Yang’s appointment was endorsed by Bryant’s University Committee on Rank and Appointment.

As the Smiley Chair, Yang will continue his research and teaching agenda in the Department of Science and Technology, while also serving as the director of Bryant’s Confucius Institute. Yang, a distinguished professor and research scientist, is the founding director of Bryant’s U.S.-China Institute and has directed the University’s Confucius Institute as well, since its founding in 2007.

In addition to the appointment of the Smiley Chair, the Confucius Institutes Headquarters has also provided Bryant with funding for a Confucius Institute program assistant.

A beloved mentor of Yang, Professor Charles Jack Smiley (1924-1996) was an internationally renowned scientist who made significant contributions to scientific exchanges between the United States and China. Yang earned his Ph.D. in geology and paleobotany from the University of Idaho under the direction of Smiley.

Cultural exchange

The Confucius Institute at Bryant, the 14th in the United States, was the first China-funded institute in Southern New England dedicated to the promotion of Chinese language and culture.

Named after the revered Chinese thinker, Bryant’s Confucius Institute offers resources to benefit students, educators, individuals, and businesses in Rhode Island and the region.

For the last three summers, Bryant hosted the STARTALK Summer Chinese camp, which is funded by a partnership with the U.S. National Security Language Initiative. After spending two weeks on campus studying Chinese language and culture, middle and high school students have the opportunity to take their newfound knowledge to the ultimate level – by embarking on a trip to China to fully immerse themselves.

(L-R) Hong Yang, professor of science and technology, director of the U.S.-China Institute, and Dr. Charles Smiley Chair of the University's Confucius Institute; and Robert O'Brien, Smithfield Schools Superintendent, at the dedication of the Confucius Classroom at the William Windsor Elementary School.

Two years ago, the Confucius Institute introduced a complementary STARTALK program for teachers to help them integrate lesson plans about China into their curriculum.

In October, two Confucius Classrooms – one at Smithfield High School and the other at William Winsor Elementary School – were dedicated to provide Smithfield students, teachers, and members of the community opportunities to learn about Chinese language and culture.

This collaborative program between Smithfield schools and Bryant’s Confucius Institute is the first of its kind. China's Office of Chinese Language Council International (known as Hanban), which provides the financial support, hopes the partnership will serve as a model for Confucius Institutes around the world to follow.

Bryant’s Confucius Institute also conducts afterschool enrichment programs at Smithfield schools and offers language and culture classes on campus for young learners and adults.

Renowned scholar

A member of the Bryant community since 1998, Yang has written more than 40 scientific papers that have been published in peer-review journals. He is also the co-editor of “The Geobiology and Ecology of Metasequoia.”(Springer, 2005) and “Metasequoia: Back from the Brink?” (Yale University, 2007)

For his scholarly research, Yang has received numerous scientific awards, honors, and recognitions, including the prestigious Alfred P. Sloan Award for Excellence in Teaching Science and Mathematics. He is also a two-time recipient (2001 and 2009) of Bryant’s Research and Publication Award.

Last summer, Prof. Hong Yang collecting a sample of an 8,000 year old foxtail millet, the first form of agriculture in Northern China, at an archeology site.

In addition to his research, Yang taught “Global Change and Geochemical Impact” during the fall semester, and in the spring, he will teach “Environmental Study in China.” Over the winter break, Yang, who began leading trips to China in 1999, will be part of a team of faculty and staff members leading the two-week Sophomore International Experience Trip to Beijing, Yangshuo, and Shanghai.

This past summer, Yang and Bryant student Caitlyn Witkowski ’11 (Saint James, NY) were part of a team of researchers that spent a month traveling in China and Mongolia to collect soil, plant, and water samples for analysis. Witkowski served as Yang’s lab assistant for the semester before the trip and, since their return, the two have been working closely to analyze the findings. All of these opportunities are made possible through Bryant’s major in environmental science, which Yang helped to develop and launch.

“As professors, says Yang, “we have the opportunity to work with very talented students on projects that they enjoy and help them produce results that could lead to a professional presentation or a publication.”