Happy Retirement to CCS Associate Director Dr. Cyndy Ning 任友梅！

After having served 40 years at UHM, Cyndy Ning, Associate Director of CCS, has retired as of August 1, 2023.

Dr. Ning earned her PhD degree from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, specializing in the comic aspects of the Yuan period drama. Arriving in Hawai‘i and at UHM in 1983, she was hired in 1991 by the then CCS Director Roger Ames to serve as the Associate Director. In that capacity, Dr. Ning became more involved with Chinese language teaching and has written an acclaimed text-book “Communicating in Chinese” that was published by Yale University Press in 1994. Dr. Ning was also instrumental in helping to establish the Confucius Institute (2006-2019) at UHM, and she served as the local Hawai‘i Director during its 13-year duration. Her enthusiasm and passion for Chinese language teaching also led Dr. Ning to spearhead several DOD grants for the CCS-led STARTALK Summer Camps (2007-18, 2021) at UHM and, most recently, the year-long STARTALK Program (2021-2023). The Ning family has also created the Chung-Fong and Grace Ning Funds that annually supports several CCS faculty and students in their research. These are just some highlights of Dr. Ning’s many accomplishments over the past 4 decades.

We thank Dr. Ning for her memorable years of service and wish her a joyful retirement, which is well-deserved, and we know how anxious she is to spend more time with her adorable grandchildren!