Michael Allen, professor of astronomy, received the Yang “Wendy” Liu Award for his dedication to teaching and making Washington State University a more welcoming place for international students.
Allen received the award May 2 for excellence in teaching international students. Allen was nominated by his student Misir Huseynli.
“From the beginning, Dr. Allen has provided invaluable guidance that helped me navigate the unfamiliar territory of the U.S. academic system,” Huseynli said in the nomination. “His ability to listen and provide thoughtful, tailored advice has helped me navigate university life’s myriad opportunities and challenges.”
The award recognizes instructors who are emblematic of Liu’s commitment to international students. Liu was an Office of International Programs Intensive American Language Center instructor who taught English at WSU for nearly a decade. She died of complications due to cancer in 2019. Liu was dedicated to her students in and out of the classroom, and the award in her name recognizes fellow faculty and staff who go above and beyond.
…Dr. Allen has provided invaluable guidance that helped me navigate the unfamiliar territory of the U.S. academic system. His ability to listen and provide thoughtful, tailored advice has helped me navigate university life’s myriad opportunities and challenges.
Misir Huseynli, student
Washington State University
Allen said he was quite pleased to receive the award, especially since it comes from a student nomination.
“Here’s an individual who went out of his way to write a page-and-a-half letter, and here I win this award,” Allen said. “The fact that it’s student-nominated is what really makes me feel very warm.”
Allen, who has been at WSU since 2002, has provided faculty advising for the last 15 years. Huseynli wrote in his nomination that Allen’s advice helped him navigate pursuing a double major in Astrophysics.
“Dr. Allen has been an exceptional mentor and advisor who has demonstrated a deep commitment and understanding towards students from diverse backgrounds,” he said.
Allen said he tries to meet with students and provide a clear pathway to graduation depending on their interests and major. He builds a spreadsheet with each individual student with additional pages for double majors, so they can have a strong outline for their time at WSU.
“No student opens up the WSU catalog and says there’s an eight-semester program, I’m going to follow it,” he said.
He keeps open office hours that are well attended and offers more than just academic advice. In the classroom, Allen said he tries to accommodate every student’s individual strengths by making sure his lectures touch on the four traditional language arts of reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Some students learn better through reading, others through speaking, so Allen said he includes each skill in every class. He said it was a high honor to receive the award.
“Any good teacher will say the students really are the number one priority,” he said.
Shyam Sablani, professor of food engineering, won the award last year.
Faculty and staff are eligible for nomination for the annual award.
