Position:
Associate Dean for Student Affairs; Professor, Dance
Location:
Ruebush Hall, Room 108
Phone:
(540) 678-4479
Email:
tchen@su.edu
Employed Since:
1997
Teaching Area(s):
Dance Composition, Modern Dance, Modern Dance Pedagogy, Movement for Musicians, Senior Concert Seminar, First Year Seminar
Conservatory Professional Highlights:
Ting-Yu Chen, M.F.A., Ed.D., became Shenandoah Conservatory’s first Asian American female Associate Dean for Student Affairs in 2017. She joined Shenandoah University in 1997 as a dance faculty member and served as the dance division chair in 2014. As associate dean, she champions for student academic success and well-being by strengthening students’ academic support network and leveraging campus resources. She is a coach and facilitator for student agency and provides necessary guidance for faculty to help learners navigate complex human challenges from the start to degree completion.
Chen has held a faculty appointment as professor of dance for more than 2 decades. She relishes teaching choreography, creative thinking and authentic expression to budding artists and scholars with an eye towards social justice. Chen has presented her cross-disciplinary research and teaching at conferences and university programs. Her work aims to serve singers and instrumentalists to advance their professional goals and well-being through body awareness and movement. Furthermore, she has taught inter-professionally to health professions students and faculty. Her work facilitates a greater level of self-awareness and observational skills necessary for effective nonverbal communication, applicable to patient evaluation for health care providers.
Chen was a Barzinji Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) fellow in Spring 2021 and has been a COIL trainer with the Office of Global Virtual Learning at SU since Fall 2021. She facilitates discussions on global societal challenges while focusing on inclusive teaching strategies to address power dynamics in a cross-cultural learning environment. She cultivates belonging, inclusive excellence and wellness in all the spaces she occupies.
Chen has been a grant recipient of the Taiwanese National Arts Council of Cultural and Educational Development Foundation, the Greater Columbus Arts Council in Ohio and the Shenandoah Arts Council. Chen’s creative scholarship and teaching have spanned the globe.
Chen is an editorial board member of the Journal of Performing Arts Leadership in Higher Education, a member of World Dance Alliance – Pacific Asia, Musical Theatre Educators’ Alliance and Shenandoah Arts Council. She is a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, a certified Reiki Master Teacher, and a higher education consultant for faculty and staff on balancing academic rigor, healthy boundaries and self-care.
Chen holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from the Ohio State University and a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Shenandoah University. She is a member of the 2022/23 Senior Leadership Seminar in The Virginia Network, a program of the ACE Women’s Network.
Ensemble(s):
Dance Ensemble
Educational History:
B.F.A., State University of New York-Purchase; M.F.A., The Ohio State University; Ed. D. Shenandoah University.
Personal Quote:I invite my students to explore their inner strength and wisdom, and pursue their passion relentlessly with unbounded creative energy, curiosity and imagination, a birthplace for innovation and meaning-making.