TAO HONG, Academic Director, Hangzhou.  A native of Beijing, Tao Hong received her B.A. in English Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University (Bei Wai) in 1988, a Certificate in Applied Linguistics from the University of Warwick, England, in 1994, an M.A. in Chinese Linguistics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000, and is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Chinese Linguistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison conducting research on Chinese phonology.  She taught English at Beijing Foreign Studies University from 1994-1998, winning a Best Teacher Award (ChenMeijie Jiang) in 1996, and has taught all levels of Chinese at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and then at Princeton University from 1998 to 2004.  She was also a Foreign Student Advisor and Administrator in the International Students Office at Beijing Foreign Studies University, 1988-1993.  In 2002, Tao Hong was one of the lead instructors, coordinating the 4th level, for the Princeton-in-Beijing program at Beijing Normal University (Bei Shi Da). She is familiar with both the city of Hangzhou and Zhejiang province and has long been captivated by the cityscapes and surrounding countryside, which are so typical of southern China, as well as the local cuisines.


AMY SAURER, Resident Director, Hangzhou.  Amy has studied, traveled, and worked in China for over a decade. As an undergraduate student, she spent a year in Anhui Province studying Traditional Chinese Medicine.  After graduating from Hampshire College with a degree in China Studies in 1999, she moved back to China to lead study trips for American students, spending much of her time in China's rural western provinces over the next several years.  In 2004, Amy graduated from the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies with a Masters of Chinese Studies degree, after which she resided in southern California to teach Chinese language for 3 years.  In May of 2008, Amy joined the School in China as Resident Director, working primarily with students and their Chinese roommates, coordinating orientation, co-curricular activities, student meals, and trips.  She meets frequently with students, both informally and during regular office hours, to discuss cultural integration and goals.  Amy's experiences as an independent language learner, teacher, and travel guide make her a valuable resource to students who want to take their language learning beyond the classroom.  As resident director, Amy most enjoys working with students to help them integrate into life in Hangzhou via their involvement in local activities and organizations.  Amy's favorite hobbies include singing karaoke, sipping tea at West Lake, and practicing Tai Chi.

 ZHANG HUICONG, Academic Director, Beijing.  Huicong grew up in Harbin, and received her B.A. in English and American literature as well as Chinese literature from Nankai University in Tianjin in 2000. She received her Ph.D. in classical Chinese poetry from Harvard University in June, 2009.
      Huicong’s graduate school training combined research with teaching. Both at Harvard and the University of Colorado, she designed and taught courses in beginning and intermediate Mandarin Chinese, classical Chinese, and Chinese literature in translation. She was awarded the Certificate of Distinction in Teaching at Harvard in 2005–2007. Huicong has also taught for study abroad programs in Beijing where she designed courses, making use of Beijing’s rich cultural and historical resources, and lectured on Chinese language, history, and religions.
      Huicong’s experience studying and teaching in both China and the U.S. has convinced her of the value of cultural immersion as an effective education model. In addition, as an alumna of the Middlebury Japanese School (summer 2002), Huicong has experienced first-hand Middlebury’s vigorous curriculum and standards for academic excellence from the student-side of the desk. She looks forward to welcoming all the students in Beijing to share the invaluable experience of living and studying in China’s ever-changing capital.

LYUBA TOVBINA, Resident Director, Beijing. When Lyuba first started studying Chinese as a freshman in college, the concept of a tonal language took her by surprise. After she studied abroad in Beijing during her junior year, however, her love for the city kept her coming back. She spent the following summer conducting research on Chinese bargaining behavior and interning at the U.S. Department of Commerce, and then graduated from Pomona College with a major in economics and minor in Asian Studies.
    Even while conducting her Fulbright research in Russia, Lyuba convinced the host university to find her a Chinese-speaking roommate, and spent the entire year speaking Chinese every day at home while living along the Volga River. In 2007, Lyuba entered the Hopkins-Nanjing Center graduate certificate program, and after graduation worked as a strategy consultant in Shanghai. In August of 2009, she returned to her Chinese "home" in Beijing and joined CET as a Middlebury School in China Resident Director. Lyuba looks forward to watching students fall in love with Beijing as she did and helping them nurture their relationship with this rapidly changing city.

WANG JIAJIA, Academic Director, Kunming.  A native of Beijing, Jiajia received her B.A. in Chinese Archaeology from Peking University in 1999.  After graduating from college, she went to the University of Pennsylvania and received her Ph.D. in 2009.  Jiajia has broad research interests, including Medieval Chinese history, art history, folk religion, archaeology, and the cultural exchanges along the ancient silk routes.  
    Jiajia also has considerable Chinese language teaching experience.  She received her training in Chinese language teaching as an instructor with Associated Colleges in China (ACC) from 1999 to 2000.  While studying at UPenn, she then worked as a TA and later lecturer in the Chinese program.  From 2003 through 2008, Jiajia taught at the Princeton-in-Beijing program.  She was the head coordinator of Level 2 at Princeton-in-Beijing for two terms.  Jiajia has taught Chinese to beginning, intermediate and advanced students, including Business Chinese, to help students understand economic development and business practices in modern China.
    Jiajia looks forward to working with students and instructors to explore the rich cultural resources of Kunming and Yunnan University.


LISA DEVINE, Resident Director, Kunming.  Nanjing is where Lisa first caught the “China bug.” In 1998, she enrolled in introductory Chinese language courses at Nanjing University for one year of intensive study.  Lisa went on to achieve a degree in Anthropology and Chinese Language and Literature at the University of Iowa.  In 2001, she was awarded a Stanley Scholarship for Research Abroad to conduct comparative research on Chinese and American archaeological methods, and the following year she received a Fulbright research grant to conduct archeologicalresearch in Xi'an.  From 2004-2007, Lisa returned to Nanjing to join the administrative team at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center as a bi-lingual Project Coordinator.  Most recently, Lisa received a master’s degree in public administration from the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington where she concentrated in international affairs and earned a certificate in international development.  
    Lisa enjoys hiking, biking, dancing salsa, and going on adventures.  She has backpacked, mostly over land, throughout China and Southeast, South, and Central Asia.  She looks forward to helping students explore Kunming and Southwest China and gain an in-depth, first-hand understanding of the region’s rich culture, society, and stunningly beautiful scenery.  

LU BIN, Program Consultant. Having served as the CET Program Coordinator on behalf of the Harbin Institute of Technology between 1988 and 2003 and then with the C.V. Starr-Middlebury School in China in Hangzhou, Lu Bin is a veteran program administrator whose expertise includes teacher training, academic coordination, and logistics. In Harbin and Hangzhou, Lu Bin oversaw a wide variety of program elements, from class scheduling to student management. She also developed and managed new programs on behalf of the Foreign Service Institute in Harbin.  Lu Bin comes from a family of academics, and her own education was at the Harbin Institute of Technology. She is excited about the opportunity to apply her experience to the Middlebury programs at the new sites in Beijing and Kunming during the 2009-2010 academic year.

The School in China hires and trains instructors, many of whom are teachers at or graduates of institutions of higher education in Hangzhou. All receive training in a communicative-based pedagogy that addresses all five skills (speaking, listening, reading, writing, and cultural knowledge) and is the product of cooperation between ZUT, the academic director, the Middlebury Chinese Department, the summer Language School, and CET. In addition, some faculty will be chosen each year to teach in either the academic year or summer Language School programs on the Middlebury campus and/or other CET programs.