By Sean Cudahy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Collaboration is at the heart of Professor Yingjiao Xu<\/a>\u2019s philosophy, honed over a more than two-decade teaching career. An expert in consumer behaviors toward innovations in fashion retailing, she uses a poignant metaphor to describe her role guiding research and coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see myself as a coach: a motivator, a supporter, to help my students grasp the independent thinking skills\u2026.the research skills,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a philosophy that\u2019s served her well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 13 years since she arrived at the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> following a decade at Ohio University, Xu has garnered a reputation as a \u201cconsistent, quiet, and pragmatic leader,\u201d according to one of her colleagues \u2014 a leader with \u201csteady dedication\u201d to her role in the Department of Textiles and Apparel, Technology and Management<\/a>, and as director of Ph.D. graduate programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In additional recent testimonials, some half-dozen former students used words like \u201cengaging,\u201d \u201cinspiring\u201d and \u201cmentor\u201d to describe Xu \u2014 accolades that ultimately helped propel her to be one of four recipients of the 2023 Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship<\/a>. The award recognizes outstanding graduate-level teaching at NC State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked what she believes earned her this recognition, Xu speaks of the independence she aims to foster by challenging student researchers to voice opinions, while providing encouragement and feedback along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen they graduate, my goal is for them to become independent faculty members; independent researchers,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen they first come, they\u2019re kind of new, but when they graduate, they are so independent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results she\u2019s helped drive are undeniable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just ask Wilson College of Textiles alumna Li Li \u201814, who today is a manager at the electric vehicle giant Tesla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a letter supporting Xu\u2019s nomination for the award, Li spoke of Xu\u2019s ability to connect theoretical discussion to real-world examples. Nearly a decade later, Li wrote, she still uses a systemic method Xu taught during a course on market research of textile commodities in her own career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, Li says, \u201cShe had a much bigger impact on me beyond what she taught me in class,\u201d noting that Xu\u2019s professional mentorship helped give her the confidence to manage direct reports on a team overseeing the supply chain for Tesla\u2019s vehicle interiors and seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fellow Wilson College of Textiles alumna Hanna Lee<\/a> likewise credits Xu\u2019s guidance with preparing her for a career as assistant professor in the University of South Carolina\u2019s Department of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDr. Xu has given me valuable advice and resources to help me discover my true potential as a teacher and researcher,\u201d she wrote in her own letter of support, noting Xu\u2019s lessons in productivity have helped her publish eight manuscripts since they met in 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That effectiveness in helping students succeed is a key reason Xu is the \u201cchoice mentor\u201d for students with interest in consumer behavior and global marketing, wrote Wilson College of Textiles Professor Marguerite Moore<\/a>, while noting Xu\u2019s leadership has also helped boost enrollment and broaden the scope of the university\u2019s master\u2019s programs through partnerships with international universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, she says, \u201cDr. Xu is a modest individual who rarely mentions her accomplishments.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That much is clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel so honored, and at the same time, it was a very humbling experience,\u201d Xu says of these accolades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Among her proudest achievements, though, she says, is the personal perspective she\u2019s been able lend to a diverse student body \u2014 a product of her own personal journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After graduating from Donghua University in China with her bachelor\u2019s in textiles and then Renmin University of China with a master\u2019s in textile, apparel and merchandising, Xu moved to the U.S. to pursue her Ph.D in Textiles, at Louisiana State University (while picking up a master\u2019s in applied statistics along the way).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think, being an international student a long time ago, I can appreciate their situation, their perspectives,\u201d she says. \u201cSo I feel honored to have this opportunity to work with a very diverse student body.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, whether it\u2019s personal or professional, coursework or research, for Xu, it all comes back to this point of view: \u201cI treat our students as our future colleagues and future professionals.\u201d By Sean Cudahy<\/p>\n\n\n\n Collaboration is at the heart of Professor Yingjiao Xu<\/a>\u2019s philosophy, honed over a more than two-decade teaching career. An expert in consumer behaviors toward innovations in fashion retailing, she uses a poignant metaphor to describe her role guiding research and coursework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see myself as a coach: a motivator, a supporter, to help my students grasp the independent thinking skills\u2026.the research skills,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a philosophy that\u2019s served her well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 13 years since she arrived at the Wilson College of Textiles<\/a> following a decade at Ohio University, Xu has garnered a reputation as a \u201cconsistent, quiet, and pragmatic leader,\u201d according to one of her colleagues \u2014 a leader with \u201csteady dedication\u201d to her role in the Department of Textiles and Apparel, Technology and Management<\/a>, and as director of Ph.D. graduate programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In additional recent testimonials, some half-dozen former students used words like \u201cengaging,\u201d \u201cinspiring\u201d and \u201cmentor\u201d to describe Xu \u2014 accolades that ultimately helped propel her to be one of four recipients of the 2023 Alumni Association Distinguished Graduate Professorship<\/a>. The award recognizes outstanding graduate-level teaching at NC State University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Asked what she believes earned her this recognition, Xu speaks of the independence she aims to foster by challenging student researchers to voice opinions, while providing encouragement and feedback along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen they graduate, my goal is for them to become independent faculty members; independent researchers,\u201d she says. \u201cWhen they first come, they\u2019re kind of new, but when they graduate, they are so independent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The results she\u2019s helped drive are undeniable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just ask Wilson College of Textiles alumna Li Li \u201814, who today is a manager at the electric vehicle giant Tesla.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a letter supporting Xu\u2019s nomination for the award, Li spoke of Xu\u2019s ability to connect theoretical discussion to real-world examples. Nearly a decade later, Li wrote, she still uses a systemic method Xu taught during a course on market research of textile commodities in her own career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And yet, Li says, \u201cShe had a much bigger impact on me beyond what she taught me in class,\u201d noting that Xu\u2019s professional mentorship helped give her the confidence to manage direct reports on a team overseeing the supply chain for Tesla\u2019s vehicle interiors and seats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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