
Growing up in China, the importance of education was impressed upon Jing Wang at a very young age. So itâs no surprise that Wang, now associate professor of decision sciences at UNHâs Paul College, eventually followed a career path in education.
âEducation was the only way to change your life if you wanted a good job,â Wang said.
Although she started out her career in industry and returned to it after getting her MBA, Wang quickly realized that she missed the learning environment of a university campus, where continuous learning was the norm. After receiving her doctoral degree from Kent State University, Wang came to UNH in 2007 to teach and conduct research as an assistant professor of decision sciences.
Wang was selected as this yearâs Paul College Excellence in Teaching Award winner in the tenure-track faculty category. She was nominated by decision sciences department chair, Roger Grinde, who cited Wangâs exemplary teaching, research, and service to the college as well as her consistent high student ratings in his nomination.
âShe always holds students to high academic standards with integrity, makes courses relevant and engaging, and is very helpful and available to students needing extra assistance,â said Grinde.
âShe is one of the very best professors I have had during my time at UNH,â said former student Angela Tidd â18. âI do not say this because her class is a breeze, or she lets students off the hook. I say this because she pushes students to learn outside of class, think past the school environment, and cares deeply for her students on a personal and professional level.â
Wang has taught all levels of information systems and business analytics courses for the department, including first-year management information systems for all ; systems analysis and database management, which is often the first course students take if they are interested in the ; and decision sciences courses at the MBA level. Grinde credits Wang as a major driver of the Information Systems and Business Analytics optionâs growth from 15-20 students when she began teaching at UNH to now over 85 students currently in the option.
Former student Gabrielle Kelly â12 can attest to this.
âI started in the business school as an incoming freshman knowing already that I would concentrate in accounting,â she said. âWhat I didnât know, and what Professor Wang helped me find, was my passion for data sciences.â
According to Wangâs colleague in the decision sciences department, Tevfik Aktekin, the proof of Wangâs teaching excellence lies in the success of her students.
âShe arms students with skills that they can use in the workplace even after graduation,â said Aktekin, also an associate professor of decision sciences. âAt alumni events, several of her former students pointed out to me that they still use the summary sheet of MySQL code Dr. Wang makes every student put together as part of her database course. Several others indicated that the reason they got their internships or job offers are because of the tangible skills they acquired in Dr. Wangâs database management and information systems courses.â
âItâs a noble goal to make a difference in a personâs life,â said Wang. âThat is why I focus on trying to teach my students something relevant.â
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Written By:
Whittney Gould | Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics | whittney.gould@unh.edu | 603-862-1704