Celebrating Dr. Wenying Huang-Stolte, Employee of the Month

Dr. Wenying Huang-Stolte, an instructional technologist at York College, has been recognized as Employee of the Month for November 2024.

^{Left to right, Maron Medwinter, committee member; Virginia Rodriquez, committee member, Dr. Wenying Huang-Stolte, honoree; Hopeton Allen, committee member and in the rear, Carmel Boyle, executive director, Office of Human Resources.}

After more than 30 years of outstanding service to York, Dr. Huang-Stolte was presented with a certificate and award honoring her contributions to the College. Colleagues, particularly faculty members who have worked closely with Huang-Stolte, submitted numerous accolades to the nominating committee, highlighting the exceptional quality of her work and her value as a colleague.

“Wenying is in a category by herself,” remarked one enthusiastic supporter in a message to the nominating committee, which includes employees from various departments. “Her ability to advise faculty on educational technology and design solutions makes her a critical member of the York College instructional staff. She imagines solutions to fix problems, is incredibly knowledgeable about every aspect of educational technology, and can explain things clearly and simply. She stays with you until the problem is resolved.”

Another colleague praised Huang-Stolte’s “infinite patience” and noted that she “never makes anyone feel stupid—even when the question or mistake seems incredibly silly.”

Huang-Stolte’s journey at York College began in 1994 as a post-doctoral scholar in the Department of Natural Sciences. “I’m honored and humbled to receive this award,” she said. “I feel that I just did my job, but the faculty saw something special in my efforts. Witnessing the passion and dedication of the faculty and staff in supporting our students, along with the students' determination to overcome obstacles in their learning process, has always motivated me to give my best in supporting them.”

The Department of Natural Sciences later diverged into the Biology, Chemistry, and Earth and Physical Sciences departments. She joined the lab of the now-late Dr. Lawrence Johnson, focusing on molecular spectroscopy. Her interest in computers grew for research purposes and their applications in teaching and learning.

“In 1998, funded by a research grant from Dr. Leslie Lewis, I transitioned to the Academic Computing & Educational Technology (ACET) department,” she explained. There, she was inspired to develop computer programs that allowed students to verify their calculations in general chemistry lab reports online before submission.

“I also want to thank my team members in CTLET and colleagues in other units for their collaboration and contributions,” said Huang-Stolte, who also managed the College’s website, including the backend database, until York established a web team.

She also highlighted that in 2016, ACET became CTLET under the leadership of Dr. Greet Van Belle, who is still expertly fulfilling that role.