Shuangyu Xu, assistant professor and natural resources-human dimensions graduate coordinator, School of Natural Resources, has been named recipient of the 2025 Outstanding Mid-Career Teacher Award.
She is recognized for her exceptional depth of knowledge, innovative teaching strategies that sharpen students’ critical thinking and unwavering dedication to student success.
As the sole professor in the Tourism area, Xu is a high-profile representative of her discipline across the state and nationally, nominators say. She continuously shines as an instructor, earning high course evaluation scores and is known for her dynamic and engaging teaching style. In addition to her excellence in the classroom, Xu is a highly respected advisor, encouraging her advisees to think outside the box while providing a reassuring presence.
She has attended the Wakonse Faculty College Teaching Conference and has participated in several teaching-related workshops, including the Teaching with AI in the SEC course hosted by the MU Teaching for Learning Center. In 2024, she received a Golden Apple Award from CAFNR for teaching.
In addition, her research, which has an international reach, is becoming well known – she recently had a paper accepted by the Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education.
“Dr. Xu embodies the qualities that a teaching aspires to – she is inspirational, an industrious role model, and a good citizen of the School of Natural Resources (SNR),” said nominator Patrick Market, director of SNR. “She began her teaching career with all of those attributes, and continues to hone them with every year she is in a classroom.”
“Shuangyu exemplifies the qualities of an outstanding mid-career teacher – dedicated, innovative and deeply invested in student success,” said nominator Jennifer Wentz, associate teaching professor and undergraduate program coordinator for parks, recreation, sport and tourism. “Her ability to integrate research, pedagogy and experiential learning makes her highly deserving of this recognition.”