Lan Wang-Hiles earned her Ph.D. in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, specializing in Composition and TESOL. She earned her MA in Applied Linguistics and ESL from Georgia State University. She also attended university in China, earning her first BA in English from Hebei University and the second BA in Law from China University of Political Science and Law.

At WVSU, she established and directed the English as a Second language (ESL) Program for six years. In the English Department, courses she frequently teaches include Research Writing, College Composition, Writing for Business and other Professions, Introduction to General Linguistics, Language Principles and Use, Theory and Practice of Writing Tutoring, Writing for Publications, and Practical English Grammar in Use.

Her research interests include second language writing, writing center theories and multilingual writer tutoring practices, multilingualism, nonnative English-speaking teacher identity. As an active researcher, Dr. Wang-Hiles presents annually at national, international, and regional conferences such as Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), International TESOL Association, Symposium on Second Language Writing (SSLW), International Writing Centers Association (IWCA), West Virginia TESOL, and NY State TESOL, etc. Her studies in these fields have appeared as peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. In addition, she is the Chair of the Executive Committee of Non-native English-Speaking Writing Instructors (NNESWIs) Standing Group for CCCC, Newsletter Editor of the Program Administration Interest Section (PAIS) for the International TESOL Association, and serves on the West Virginia TESOL Board as a Higher Education Representative.

Dr. Wang-Hiles is the recipient of the WVSU 2023-2024 Distinguished Scholar Award.

To learn more about Dr. Wang-Hiles’s recent scholarly activities, please click Here.