The Wally Cordes Teaching and Faculty Support Center is pleased to announce that Xinde (Cinder) Zhang is the recipient of the 2025 Paul Cronan Technology Teaching Excellence Award. 

The award includes a plaque of recognition and a $500 Teaching Enhancement Grant funded by the Cordes TFSC. It recognizes a faculty member who has meaningfully used technology in an innovative way to enhance student learning at the U of A. Paul Cronan, for whom the award is named, is a founding co-director of the Teaching and Faculty Support Center and a long-time beloved professor in the Information Systems Department.  

ABOUT THE WINNER

Zhang, founder of the Financial Analytics Program at the Walton College of Business, is transforming finance education by integrating cutting-edge technology and AI into his teaching. "I teach students to learn with AI, not from AI," he explains. "Technology shouldn't replace thinking — it should amplify it." He built a conceptual-visual-technical-application framework for his students to implement to use in his class and eventually in their professional careers.  

Noah Hertlein, a senior financial analytics major says, "Dr. Zhang treats generative AI not just as a tool but as a learning partner. Students must first outline their logic (e.g., for a trading strategy) and then query AI for feedback or optimization suggestions—thereby cultivating both human critical thinking and AI-driven efficiency... Overall, Dr. Zhang's innovative, technology-driven teaching enables students to master finance at the cutting edge—gaining the dual fluency of understanding both advanced analytics and the business rationale behind it." 

Beyond AI, Zhang incorporates diverse technologies and constantly updates assignments to reflect industry trends, helping students build professional portfolios that have directly led to competitive job offers. 

Zhang's influence extends beyond just the classroom. He was instrumental in helping create the Arkansas AI Foundry club, which is almost 100 student members strong. The club cultivates a culture of responsible use of AI and technology solutions for business and finance.  

Zhang will be recognized at the Teaching Awards Reception in September 2025. Award nominations will open again in the spring of 2026. 

---

About the Teaching and Faculty Support Center: TFSC invests in faculty excellence, promotes innovation in teaching and learning, and supports programs to advance student success. The center provides educational opportunities for faculty such as teaching and learning workshops, teaching symposia, and new faculty orientation. TFSC offers competitive teaching and learning grants for faculty, celebrates effective teaching with several awards and an awards reception, and promotes faculty-to-faculty mentoring through classroom observation. More information about TFSC can be found at their website or by following them on LinkedIn.