Michelle Skop and Sunny Wang honoured with Laurier’s Faculty Award for Service Excellence and Community Engagement

April 7, 2026

Michelle Skop, associate professor in the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work, and Xu (Sunny) Wang, professor of Mathematics in the Faculty of Science, have been honoured with Wilfrid Laurier University’s 2026 Faculty Award for Service Excellence and Community Engagement.

This award recognizes full-time faculty and librarians who provide exceptional service leadership and community engagement in addition to their exemplary teaching and scholarship. Skop and Wang will receive their awards during Laurier’s June convocation ceremonies.

“I’d like to thank Dr. Skop and Dr. Wang for their dedication to their work, going above and beyond at Laurier and in broader communities,” says Heidi Northwood, provost and vice-president: academic. “They set the bar for us all.”

Michelle Skop

As the associate dean of Master of Social Work (MSW) programs for the past three years, Michelle Skop has played an integral role in renewing the MSW curriculum, fostering student engagement, and building relationships with the broader community.

Under Skop’s leadership, an MSW teaching team has been established to inform curriculum planning, revise admissions processes, and develop new program options. Skop has spearheaded a broad range of student-focused academic and community-building initiatives, including orientation activities, mentorship events, workshops, celebrations and community agency fairs.

“Michelle’s work reflects the core values of the Faculty of Social Work and university—community, equity, inclusion, and academic excellence,” says Michael Woodford, Dean of the Lyle S. Hallman Faculty of Social Work. “She has demonstrated a deep commitment to supporting students, staff, and faculty, while fostering community and belonging, especially within our Master of Social Work program and beyond. Michelle’s leadership, care, and collaborative spirit have made a meaningful and lasting impact, making this recognition truly well deserved.”

A dedicated leader, Skop has served as chair of the Curriculum, Admissions, Field and Student Affairs Committee; chair of MSW Student Experience Committee; member of the Dean’s Advisory Group; and co-chair of the Appointments and Promotions Committee. She joined Laurier’s Faculty of Social Work in 2016 and received a Faculty merit award for service in 2024 and a Donald F. Morgenson Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence for innovation in teaching in 2022. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto and master’s and doctoral degrees from Laurier.

“I am truly humbled and honoured to receive this award and I am grateful for the dedicated team that I work with at the Faculty of Social Work,” says Skop. “I love building community and supporting the development of student programming, which fosters connection, inclusion, and belonging. It's a privilege to be able to do this work every day and to be of service to our students, staff and faculty.”

Xu (Sunny) Wang

As the inaugural program director for Shad Laurier, Xu (Sunny) Wang was instrumental in bringing the month-long STEAM and entrepreneurship program for grade 10 and 11 students from across Canada to the campus, designing virtual programming in 2020 and 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and moving to in-person in 2022 and 2023. In this role, she designed the curricula, recruited the campus team, and built community partnerships to create exceptional experiences for all participants. Wang is currently a regional program coordinator for the Math Kangaroo Competition, and welcomed hundreds of grade one to 12 students and their families to Laurier's Waterloo campus in March 2026.

“Sunny's contributions to Laurier are extraordinary and include her leadership in the Data Science program; her sustained service across departments, faculty and Senate committees; and her deep commitment to creating spaces for belonging and community outreach,” says Richelle Monaghan, dean of the Faculty of Science. “Her service impacts extend well beyond campus and Sunny exemplifies the very best of academic citizenship.”

Wang joined Laurier’s Mathematics department in 2016. She is the department’s graduate program coordinator and deputy director of the MS2Discovery Research Institute, and has served as the Faculty of Science inaugural data science program coordinator.

“Service has always been something close to my heart - it reflects my belief that universities thrive when we support one another and work together to build a strong and inclusive community,” says Wang. “I have been very fortunate to work with wonderful colleagues, students, and collaborators who inspire me every day, and this recognition really belongs to all of them. I look forward to continuing to contribute, learn, and grow alongside this amazing community.”

Wang received a Donald F. Morgenson Award for Teaching Excellence in the innovation category in 2021, a Faculty of Science Teaching Excellence Award in 2020, and merit awards for teaching, research and service in 2023, 2019 and 2018. She holds a Bachelor and Master of Science in Mathematics from Tianjin University in China and a doctorate in Statistics from the University of Waterloo.