A Brief History of USF Asian Alliance, 1995-2005
Now that the organization has completed ten years, a brief history is in order for its members and for the USF community at large.
When former President Betty Castor proclaimed 1994 as the “Year of Diversity at USF,” Diana Liang, member of the Library Faculty, decided it was timeto gather together the Asian faculty at USF. In a memo dated Sept. 2, 1994, she wrote in justification of an Asian organization: “there are more than a hundred Asian faculty … teaching and doing research …. Many of us have the mutual wish to come together in a social and professional setting to find out more about each other and to exchange ideas.” She cited the Hispanic Heritage and African American groups on campus, indicating that we might take a cue from their collective organizing and play a significant role in the life of the university.
Out of 102 invitations sent out, 16 faculty members met at the MarshallCenter for the
first meeting on Sept. 16, 1994 –we considered the meeting a success, for although small, it was an enthusiastic and committed group dedicated to the idea of a coalition of Asian faculty and staff. Small wonder, then, that from that small dynamite group would emerge our future (current) Provost (Renu Khator, Govt. & International Affairs) and Vice-Provost (Robert Chang, Physics), and Director of Global Health (Boo Kwa, Public Health)! We are proud of their accomplishments. (Interestingly, Bob Chang traces his initial acquaintance with Renu Khator to that foundational meeting of Asian Alliance!) Other founding members of Asian Alliance include:Suresh Khator and Tapas Das (Industrial Engineering), Dajin Peng (Govt. & International Affairs), Nick Djeu (Physics), Li-June Ming (Chemistry), Hiep Pham (Geriatric Medicine), and Gurleen Grewal (Women’s Studies).
At this first meeting we agreed there would be no membership fee. Initially, we had no officers: we simply met on the first Friday of each month at various Asian restaurants andit was good to do so. The first formal luncheon of the USF Asian Alliance took place in Jan 1995. We designated coordinators in the different colleges (both Renu Khator and Bob Chang served as coordinators for their respective colleges).
A survey was conducted among the Asian faculty and staff asking whether they wanted the organization to be a) social b) cultural c) political and d) academic, or some combination thereof. At the time, the majority opted for an emphasis on the “social.”
Let’s understand what “social” means here. Considering that the organization represents members from various parts of Asia, socializing amongst ourselves is somewhat like being at the U.N.. Since we represent a huge diversity of regions, languages, religions, and cultures--building bridges among ourselves and ‘educating’ each other informally continues to be an important mission in itself. That the organization has survived its own centrifugal diversity is a cause for celebration!
Sine 1999, USF Asian Alliance elected a Chair and Committee Members to organize its various social, cultural, and academic activities. According to the Mission statement drafted in 1999, USF Asian Alliance aims to a) promote Asian cultural awareness and academic activities b) enhance its membership and c) serve the University and TampaBay area as Asian resources.
In 2003, in order to reduce the burden on the individual chairswe explored the option of co-
chairs; the team-work seems to be working well, and it may be a continuing trend.
Chairs of USF Asian Alliance:
1999-2000: Diana Liang (Library)
2000-2001: Robert Chang (Physics)
2001-2002: Tapas Das (Industrial Engineering)
2002-2003: Gurleen Grewal (Women’s Studies)
2003-2004: Dongmei Cao,(Librarian) and Ping Wang (Geology)
2004-2005: Nahyun Kwon (Library Information Science) Wen-Xiu Ma (Mathematics)
The work of each year has been enabled by several committee members. We are grateful to Elizabeth Lee for maintaining the archives and website, to Tony Palms and CAM Director Margaret Millerfor making the annual receptions happen at CAM, and to Nancy Lin for championing the organization in more ways than one. Our lead member Diana Liang (Library) retired in 2003—Asian Alliance gave her a warm farewell.
To date, USF Asian Alliance has undertaken a range of activities :
- annual New Faculty/Staff Reception to greet new members
- raising the Asian Student Scholarship Fund (#39-1050)
- sponsoring /co-sponsoring a variety of academic lectures at USF.
- participating in issues of diversity on campus
- contributing to Asian Awareness Week with talks, concerts, exhibits, films
- organizing community events such as a table-tennis tournament or picnic at the USF Riverfront park.
We still have a long way to go, as several of usacknowledged at the New Faculty/Staff Reception of April 14, 2005. The following are some areas that could be explored further:
- Community Outreach in the TampaBay Area
- Conversations with and increased involvement of Asian Americans (who may be second and third and fourth generation Americans)
- Engaging Asian and Asian-American students
Asians and Asian Americans are contributing much to the life of the university and the Tampa Bay Area in general. Let’s step forward to engage in multiple dialogues that enhance community and understanding.
USF Asian Alliance welcomes ideas, suggestions and collaborations:please contact current chairs listed on the website.
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Prepared by Dr. Gurleen Grewal
Associate Professor in Women’s Studies
Founding member and ex-chair of Asian Alliance