Volume CXXXIII, Number 13 January 25, 2002 f

Asian studies receives $1.65 million
FE VIVAS
STAFF WRITER

The Freeman Foundation of Vermont recently expressed its support for Bowdoin's Asian Studies Department by awarding the program a $1.65 million grant.

This recent gift marks the third time that the Freeman Foundation has recognized the strength of Bowdoin's Asian Studies Department by providing the program with generous funding. In the past the primary allocation of this endowment was in funding research trips for students and faculty to Asian countries.

Professors and administrators of the Asian Studies Department, a relatively young program that was inaugurated in 1987, are particularly excited by the opportunities for future development proposed by this grant.

To follow tradition, much of the grant money will be utilized to fund travel fellowships for Asian Studies majors and minors and professors seeking opportunities to lead students in their explorations of East Asia. This aid is particularly beneficial to the department as travel to Asia is high in cost. The travel seminar, set to be launched this June, will be the first travel fellowship funded by this award. It will be led by Professor Nancy Riley and attended by ten students.

A portion of the award money will be used to create an Asian Art History faculty position. Candidates for the position will travel to campus for interviews the preceding fall and the projection is that the position will be filled by the fall of 2003.

Also, another plan to increase the number of administrators in the department hopes to bring an Asian Student Advisor to the College. This advisor would act as a mentor and guide for students establishing their own plans of study within the department.

To deepen students' access to East Asian culture, the grant will also further faculty colloquia. Professor Kidder Smith, Chair of the Asian Studies Department, explains that the program will enhance academic discourse by "Offering a wider variety of informal setting discussions to address specific topics of interest concerning Asian countries and cultures."

To celebrate Asian culture and expose the greater community to the cultures of East Asia the program intends to bring performing arts events to the College. The events will focus on Asia and take the form of theater and dance.

This grant provides the opportunity for this young program to take off and promises the community increased opportunities to explore Asian cultures in the near future.