Kato among finalists for 2014 Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence

Fumie Kato, a faculty member in the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, is among the five finalists for one of UNC Charlotte’s top honors – the Bank of America Award for Teaching Excellence.

Prior to the official ceremony to name the award recipient, scheduled for Friday, Sept. 5, Inside UNC Charlotte will profile the other finalists: Tracy Rock, associate professor, reading and elementary education; and Debra Smith, associate professor, Africana studies. Read more about the other finalists features Anita Blowers and Jonathan Crane.

According to students and colleagues, Kato, associate professor of Japanese and coordinator of the Japanese Studies Program, has created a “Japanese family” on campus. When she joined the Department of Languages and Culture Studies in 2001, few students studied Japanese.

Department Chair Sheri Long stated that students now “flock to Japanese classes not only because they are fun, but more importantly because of the feeling of camaraderie, support and cooperation modeled by the Japanese staff under Professor Kato’s supervision.”

Because of Kato’s dedication to multifaceted student learning, Japanese is now the second most popular major in the department and one of the largest undergraduate Japanese programs in North Carolina.

Sensei Kato, as her students respectfully call her, created this thriving Japanese major from scratch. Between fall 2002 and fall 2013, the number of Japanese courses offered increased from six to 22, the number of exchange partner universities in Japan increased from two to six, and the number of students enrolled in the Japanese courses grew from 258 to 856. This impressive growth facilitated the establishment of the Bachelor of Arts in Japanese Studies in 2011.

Kato teaches elementary, intermediate and advanced Japanese language courses, as well as Japanese culture courses, ranging from business to film to news to anime. Her expertise in applied linguistics, with emphases on language pedagogy, student motivation and learning strategies, strengthens the program and inspires her colleagues. Kato’s book “Improving Student Motivation toward Japanese Learning” published in both English and Japanese in 2010, enables other instructors to benefit from pedagogical successes. Motivating students by helping them perceive that the learning of Japanese, while difficult in some respects, can still be an enjoyable experience is Kato’s goal.

Joël Gallegos, assistant provost of international programs, noted that Kato encourages more students to study abroad than any other instructor or program at UNC Charlotte; she has sent approximately 175 students to study in Japan since 2002. She also has involved her students in the Charlotte-based Japanese community to increase their awareness of Japanese customs, culture, business etiquette and lifestyle. She also organizes and oversees extracurricular events, including speech contests, year-end presentations, a Japanese film series and Japanese dinner nights for students in the program. These popular events increase student engagement and motivation and enhance Kato’s teaching success. To fund these initiatives, Fumie has secured an unprecedented number of grants for the Japanese program, including from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, the Japanese Foundation, and the Association of Asian Studies.

One of Kato’s students described how the professor has gone “above and beyond” to help students understand Japanese language and culture, stating that “she recognizes her students’ capabilities and helps guide them toward success.”

In recognition of her involvement with the Japanese Studies program, Kato received the Phi Beta Delta International Education Award in spring 2014.