Awards of Distinction

Dr. Cuong Mai, associate professor in App State's Department of Philosophy and Religion, has been a faculty member at the university since 2015.

Mai teaches broadly in Asian religions, and his research focuses on the history of Chinese and Vietnamese Buddhism. His general education survey of Buddhism is one of his most successful courses, consistently filling to capacity each semester, and his course Confronting Death presents a comparative history of the afterlife in several religious traditions as well as the modern, secular context.

"Dr. Mai's approach to teaching general education courses is both innovative and successful," said a nominator. "He routinely attracts repeat students and is responsible for the recruitment of several majors and minors in religious studies. His teaching of general education courses makes an indelible imprint in the livelihood of our department."

Mai states that his goal as a teacher of religious studies at a secular, public university, is to convince students that religion is inherently interesting, and that studying religion is critical to understanding the current conflicts and debates in our community, nation and interconnected world.

Mai holds a bachelor's degree, master's degree and doctorate in religious studies from Columbia University, the University of Hawaii at Manoa and Indiana University, respectively.