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WELLESLEY, Mass. - Wellesley College has been awarded a
grant of up to $330,000 from the Henry Luce Foundation to
fund a new assistant professorship in Comparative Work and
Family with expertise in Korea or Southeast Asia and to
bolster Wellesley's Asian Studies program.
"The grant from the Henry Luce Foundation will allow Wellesley
to build on our long tradition of teaching and involvement
in Asia, " said President Diana Chapman Walsh. "The new
teaching position will enhance our comparative treatment
of Asia and expand our curricular coverage of different
regions and cultures of Asia."
The faculty position, which has been under consideration
for several years, will be either a single or joint appointment
in anthropology, sociology, or women's studies. The grant
also will provide annual program support for course-related
materials, visiting lectures, faculty research and travel,
and additional course development.
Wellesley has a long tradition of interest and involvement
in Asia, dating back to 1888, when the college welcomed
its first foreign student from Japan. The first scholarships
for Chinese students were established in 1906 to honor the
visit of the Chinese High Commissioners of Education. Today,
more than 350 alumnae live in some part of Asia, and nearly
one quarter of the student body is of Asian descent.
Wellesley's legacy of teaching about East Asia began in
1966 with the development of one of the first Chinese language
courses at a liberal arts college. Today, Wellesley's
Chinese Department is nationally recognized for its
tradition of excellence, offering a complete language program
from beginning courses through classical Chinese, advanced
seminars, and an intensive summer language and culture program
in Beijing. Instruction in Japanese language began in 1985,
and the
Japanese Department provides courses in language through
four years, augmented by offerings in literature, drama,
and film. In addition, Wellesley is one of the few undergraduate
colleges to have a full-time historian who teaches only
courses on Japan.
The Asian Studies initiatives supported by the Luce Foundation
grant complement the College's global education agenda and
are among the priorities supported by The
Wellesley Campaign, a five-year effort to raise $400
million. To date, more than $270 million has been raised
toward this goal.
In 1998,
the Luce Foundation gave a $2 million grant to Wellesley
for summer internships and teaching fellowships in Asia
for students and young alumnae and for seed money to seek
and support good ideas for expanding Wellesley's relationships
with Asia through the Wellesley-Yenching program.
Wellesley is one of seven institutions that has received
a grant in the fourth and final year of the Luce Fund for
Asian Studies initiative to strengthen the study of East
and Southeast Asia at selective American liberal arts colleges.
Others are: Bowdoin College; Claremont McKenna College;
Hampshire College; Sewanee, The University of the South;
Vassar College; and Wittenberg University.
The Henry Luce Foundation
was established in 1936 by the late Henry R. Luce, co-founder
and editor-in-chief of Time Inc. and brother of Elisabeth
Luce Moore, Wellesley College Class of 1924. The foundation
supports programs focusing on the interdisciplinary exploration
of higher education; increased understanding between Asia
and the United States; the study of religion and theology;
scholarship in American art; opportunities for women in
science and engineering; and environmental and public policy
programs.
Wellesley College is a prominent liberal arts college and
has been a leader in the education of women for more than
125 years. The College's 500-acre campus near Boston is
home to about 2,300 undergraduate students.
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