In Memoriam: Mei-Yau Shih, 1958-2023

Mei-Yau Shih, a recently retired associate director of the Center for Teaching & Learning and senior lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, died on September 22. She was 65 years old.

Raised in Taiwan, Dr. Shih earned a bachelor’s degree in Chinese literature from the National Taiwan University in Taipei. She held a master’s degree. in journalism and mass communication and a Ph.D. in educational technology from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.

Dr. Shih joined the Center for Teaching & Learning in 1998 to direct the TEACHnology Fellowship. An industrious and insightful proponent of effective teaching, she consulted with hundreds of faculty members on course design; coordinated the Periodic Multi-Year Review grant program, and led or co-led faculty learning communities on general education teaching, team-based learning, online teaching and learning, and flexible learning.

Dr. Shih was a two-time Fulbright Senior Specialist grant recipient, bringing her teaching development expertise to Taiwan and China. She published many scholarly papers in both English and Chinese. She translated former CTL Director Mary Deane Sorcinelli’s book, Creating the Future of Faculty Development: Learning from the Past, Understanding the Present (Jossey-Bass, 2005) into Mandarin.