Photograph by Jodi Krautkramer
Hao Chen, UW-P’s new assistant professor of Communication Technologies, specializes in imaging media.

Hao Chen, the new communication technologies assistant professor, was hired by UW-P to teach five communications classes this fall.

He recently moved to Wisconsin from New York and is pleased with the small town of Platteville.

“Everyone is very friendly and kind here,” Chen said.

Communication technologies professor Mary Rose Williams was appointed as his UW-P mentor. He said that Assistant Professor Steve Yunck has also helped him in the last few weeks.

Chen recently became a professor, so he can sympathize with his students on homework and test-related issues. He graduated from the University of Buffalo in New York with his Ph.D. in May 2009.

He took an interest in teaching at UW-P when he looked at the curriculum and saw that it compliments with his expertise.

“I’m very satisfied with this decision,” Chen said about moving to Platteville two months ago to become a member of the UW-P academic staff.

As a teaching assistant at the University of Buffalo he lectured and assisted with grading, which  he feels helped prepare him for the responsibility of a classroom of students and being able to help in their learning progress. Chen is also excited about the opportunity to improve his teaching skills at UW-P.

Hao Chen will teach communication courses in his area of expertise: Introduction to Mass Media, Principles of Interactivity, History of Imaging and the software classes which include Flash, Dream Weaver and Photoshop.

Chen wants his students to work together as teammates to achieve not only the goals of the class but also their future goals in the working world.  He would love to see team spirit in his classes, as he knows this will be vital on or at the job site.  Chen hopes his students will build a good knowledge base to get the job or project completed efficiently and correctly is a goal he hopes his students learn.

“I would like to see students leave here with those skills,” Chen said.