A Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges to Promote Asian Studies
2000 Annual Report of the ASIANetwork,
A Consortium of Liberal Arts Colleges
To Promote Asian Studies
Presented to The Association for Asian Studies
February 15, 2001
Submitted by Dr. Van J. Symons
Executive Director, ASIANetwork
INTRODUCTION
ASIANetwork, conceptualized in 1992 and incorporated in 1993, has grown to become a consortium of over 150 liberal arts colleges seeking to strengthen the study of Asia on our campuses. The headquarters of the consortium are located at Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois. Dr. Van J. Symons is the consortium's Executive Director. ASIANetwork runs on an April to April calendar, revolving around our annual spring conference, when new board members are elected and a new board chair and vice-chair assume their responsibilities. The 2000 report bridges the work of the 1999-2000 board chair, Stan Mickel (Wittenberg University), and the 2000-2001 chair, Jim Lochtefeld (Carthage College).
CURRENT BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF ASIANETWORK
- James Leavell, Furman University, (2000-2003)
- James Lochtefeld, Carthage College, (1998-2001), chair, board of directors
- Caroline Reeves, Williams College, (1998-2001)
- Henry Rosemont, Jr., St. Mary's College of Maryland, (1998-2001)
- Joel R. Smith, Skidmore College, (1999-2002), vice-chair, board of directors
- Deborah Sommer, Gettysburg College, (1999-2002)
- Yi Sun, University of San Diego, (2000-2003)
- Job I. Thomas, Davidson College, (2000-2003)
- Van J. Symons, Augustana College, (1999-2002), ASIANetwork executive director
- Yoko Ueda, Spelman College, (1999-2002)
COUNCIL OF ADVISORS
- Thomas Benson, President, Green Mountain College, (2000-2003)
- Elizabeth Bentzel Buck, Co-Director, Asian Studies Development Program, East-West Center, University of Hawaii, (1999-2002)
- Ainslie T. Embree, Professor Emeritus, Columbia University, (2000-2003)
- Donald P. Gregg, Former U.S. Ambassador to Korea, Chair of the Board, The Korea Society, (2000-2003)
- Carol Gluck, George Sansom Professor of Japanese History, Columbia University, (2000-2003)
- Timothy Light, Department of Religion, Western Michigan University, (2000-2003)
- David Vikner, Former President, The United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia, (2000-2003)
- Anthony Yu, Carl Darling Buck Distinguished Service Professor in Humanities, The University of Chicago, (2000-2003)
MEMBERSHIP
As of August 31, 2000, ASIANetwork had 163 institutional members and 25 affiliate individual members. Following a pattern of growth since its inception, ASIANetwork added 26 new institutional members during the fiscal year September 1, 1999 through August 31, 2000.
At the spring business meeting of ASIANetwork, held April 30, 2000, members agreed to accept a revised framework for membership in the consortium. Full Membership is open to degree-granting institutions who define their sole or primary mission as the provision of an undergraduate liberal arts education and whose enrollments are roughly between 500-2500 students. (Annual dues: $250) Associate Membership is open to degree-granting institutions who define as one of their basic missions the provision of an undergraduate liberal arts education. Typical Associate Members are small universities, some community colleges, and private and public colleges with somewhat larger enrollments. (Annual dues: $150) Affiliate Membership is open to either organizations (foundations, publishing houses, etc.) (Annual dues: $100) or individuals with an interest in undergraduate liberal arts education. (Annual dues: $50).
Six faculty members from each member institution receive all ASIANetwork mailings. Faculty from member institutions are eligible to attend the spring conference at the reduced membership rate. Faculty from Full and Associate Member institutions are eligible to apply to participate in ASIANetwork programs, but in the case of competing applications for fellowships and grants administered by ASIANetwork, and for board membership, Full members will be given priority.
ASIANETWORK ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Venue: Hickory Ridge Conference Center, Lisle, Illinois (close to Chicago)
Dates: April 28-30, 2000
Attendance: 209
Keynote Speakers: Anthony Yu, The University of Chicago, "The Real Tripitaka Revisited," William R. LaFleur, The University of Pennsylvania, "Saving the Rain Forest of Ethics: Society, Urgency, and the Study of Asia."
Program: Two keynote speaker presentations, two plenary sessions, 16 concurrent panels, one business meeting, a pre-conference field trip entitled "Asian Art, Culture, and Community in the Chicago Area," a shakuhachi performance by Michael Gould.
The spring 2001 conference will be held at the Hilton Cleveland East/Beachwood from April 20-22. The ASIANetwork host institution is John Carroll University. Saturday afternoon sessions of the conference will convene at the Cleveland Museum of Art. Keynote speakers are Joseph W. Elder, The University of Wisconsin-Madison and Regge Life, Global Film Network, Inc.
ASIANETWORK FREEMAN FOUNDATION PROGRAMS
Program Director: Madeline Chu, Kalamazoo College
The College in Asia Program: Under the direction of Norman Moline and associate direction of Jim Winship (both Augustana College), a faculty member and an administrator from various colleges and universities travel for three weeks through Japan, Taiwan, and the People's Republic of China to study how to administer and run in-house term-in-Asia programs. During the summer of 2000 the following six institutions participated in this program: Allegheny College, Alverno College, Austin College, Ricks College, Southern Methodist University, and Washington & Lee University.
Student-Faculty Fellows Program: Under the administrative direction of Teodora Amoloza (Illinois Wesleyan University), ten student-faculty teams from ASIANetwork colleges traveled to Asia to conduct an undergraduate research project during the summer of 2000. Teams from the following colleges, with the region of Asia where research was undertaken given in parenthesis, participated: Fairfield University (Nepal), Hiram College (Japan), Illinois Wesleyan University (People's Republic of China), Kalamazoo College (People's Republic of China), Kenyon College (Republic of China), Luther College (India), Missouri Southern State University (India), University of Puget Sound (Malaysia), University of San Diego (People's Republic of China), Valparaiso University (People's Republic of China).
Thanks to the generosity of The Freeman Foundation, these programs have been renewed for another three-year period. The Student-Faculty Fellows Program has been expanded to encourage individual faculty at ASIANetwork colleges to direct undergraduate research projects for up to five students. 13 teams, involving 59 individuals, have already been selected for the forthcoming 2001 program.
ASIANETWORK LUCE FOUNDATION PROGRAMS
Asia in the Undergraduate Curriculum: A Case for Asian Studies in Liberal Arts Education was published by M.E. Sharpe in May 2000. Co-edited by Suzanne Wilson Barnett (University of Puget Sound) and Van J. Symons (Augustana College), the book contains six chapters which place the development of Asian studies programs in small colleges in historical context, make a compelling case for the inclusion of Asian studies in the liberal arts curriculum, and consider the challenges faced in developing and sustaining Asian studies programs. With support provided by the Luce Foundation, gift copies of this book have been presented to each college president and academic dean or provost at all ASIANetwork colleges and several other individuals.
ASIANetwork Consultancy Advisory Program:
The ASIANetwork Consultancy Advisory Program Coordinator is Stan Mickel (Wittenberg University). Drawing from the highly successful ASIANetwork Luce Consultancy Advisory Program, which was conducted from 1994-98, this program matches experienced consultants from established Asian studies programs at liberal arts colleges with ASIANetwork member institutions seeking advice on how to strengthen the study of Asia on their campuses. Each year about a half dozen consultancies are facilitated through this outreach program.
"ASIANetwork EXCHANGE, A Newsletter for Teaching About Asia"
The 32-page newsletter of the consortium is published three times annually, fall, winter and spring. The editor of the newsletter is Anne Prescott and the assistant editors are Ben Nefzger and Marsha Smith. All are faculty at Augustana College. Almost 1000 issues of the newsletter are mailed free of charge to up to six faculty at ASIANetwork member colleges.
The ASIANetwork Website, www.asianetwork.org