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 College Composition, Research Writing, Writing for Business and other Professions, Practical English Grammar in Use, Introduction to General Linguistics, The Power of Language, Language Principles and Use, Theory and Practice of Writing Tutoring, and Writing for Publications.

Her research interests include second language writing, writing center theories and multilingual writer tutoring practices, multilingualism, nonnative English-speaking teacher identity. She has over 20 publications in these fields as peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. As an active researcher, she presents annually at national, international, and regional conferences such as Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC), International TESOL Association, International Writing Centers Association (IWCA), Symposium on Second Language Writing (SSLW), West Virginia TESOL, and the New York State TESOL, etc.

Dr. Wang-Hiles also serves in some professional organizations off campus. She is a newsletter co-editor of the Leadership and Mentorship Interest Section (LMIS) for the International TESOL Association, a board member of West Virginia TESOL, the former Chair of the 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.

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.