— Biography from the 2024 Fall Commencement program —

Dr. Zhang joined the faculty in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology in September 1997. That same year, he earned his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of South Carolina. He holds the MA in Sociology (1993) from the University of South Carolina and the MA in English Literature (1986) from Tianjin Foreign Languages Institute (now Tianjin Foreign Studies University) in China. During his academic career, Dr. Zhang published two book chapters: one about sociological model construction, the other about methods of teaching inequality. His other research has been published in 15 journal articles and 17 conference presentations, covering immigrant labor conditions, education inequality, religion and ethnic identity, and third world issues. Dr. Zhang has been dedicated to teaching. He has been always willing to develop courses needed by the department, incorporate readings rich in theory and data, set minimum standards and higher goals, and encourage and help students to achieve those goals. Dr. Zhang has provided service at different areas including data collection and analyses for local organizations and county government in the early years at Georgia Southern. He assisted the Southeast Georgia Community Project, an agricultural worker service organization, and the Amethyst Project, a nonprofit organization that served HIV-positive individuals, with their grant applications, and he provided the Bulloch County Recreation and Park Department with data analysis related to public area improvements. He has also served for years on the Institutional Review Board (IRB) and the Academic Assessment Program Review Steering Committee of the University. For his many contributions to his discipline and his service to his students, the university, and the community, Dr. Zhang is deserving of the title Associate Professor Emeritus of Sociology.*