GW Students Attend Event With Secretary Clinton to Launch Foundation Dedicated to Increasing U.S.-China Educational Ties

Several George Washington University students and recent graduates joined Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton last week to celebrate the launch of the 100 Thousand Strong Foundation, which will work to expand opportunities for American students to learn Mandarin and study abroad in China.

At the Jan. 24 launch event at the State Department, Secretary Clinton said that forging a successful future relationship between these two major world powers cannot be left to diplomats alone.

“Relationships government to government are obviously essential,” she said. “But it is those people-to-people ties that are going to determine the quality of the relationship for the future.”

The 100 Thousand Strong Foundation will extend the goals of the Obama administration’s “100 Thousand Strong Initiative,” which President Obama initially launched in 2010. The goal of that initiative was to encourage 100,000 American students to study in China in the subsequent four-year period. The 100 Thousand Strong Foundation will deepen U.S.-China relations via cultural and educational exchanges, government support for students, an annual conference on U.S.-China strategic partnerships and independent studies investigating the effect of U.S. study abroad programs in China.

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2013-2014 Chinese Government Scholarship Programme

Chinese Government Scholarship Programmes are established by the Ministry of Education of China (hereinafter referred to as MoE) in accordance with educational exchange agreements or understandings reached between Chinese government and governments of other countries, organizations, education institutions and relevant international organizations to provide both full scholarships and partial scholarships to international students and scholars.  MoE entrusts China Scholarship Council (hereinafter referred as CSC) to manage the recruitment and carry out the routine managements of Chinese Government Scholarship Programmes.

The Chinese Embassy is delighted to announce that the 2013-2014 Chinese Government Scholarship Programme has started its application process. The Application information can be found via the website http://www.sino-education.org/english/studychinese.htm The deadline for application is April 30, 2013. For furthur information or questions, please feel free to contact Zhang Jin (zhangjin@sino-education.org) or Mr. Lui Jiangyi (jiangyiliu@yahoo.com.cn)

Announcing Sigur Center 2013 Language and Research Grants

Summer Asian Language Fellow, Kalisha Holmes on the Great Wall

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies is pleased to announce grants for language study and field research for Summer 2013. Students with an interest in furthering their Asian language skills or conducting field research in Asia are highly encouraged to apply. All GW BA, MA and PhD students are eligible for Language Grants. Asian Field Research Grants are open to MA and PhD students. Students may apply regardless of nationality. 

All grant applications are due by February 15, 2013. Please find links to application materials and details for each grant below:

Sigur Center Summer Grant for Chinese Language Study in Taiwan 

**Please note that the Sigur Center has substantial funding specifically dedicated to sending students to study Chinese in Taiwan. We strongly recommend that, if you would like to study Chinese abroad, you apply for this grant. If you want to study in China, you must apply for the Asian Language Grant, which has no such specific monies for Chinese language study.**

Sigur Center Summer Grant for Korean Language Study in Korea

Sigur Center Summer Grant for Asian Language Study in Asia

Sigur Center Summer Grant for Asian Field Research

* (MA and PhD students only)

Requirements:
Those selected for these grants must submit four blog posts throughout the course of the program and, during the fall semester, participate in an informal discussion with Sigur Center staff and other grant recipients about your experience abroad. Find a full list of requirements for each specific grant by clicking on the grants above, or visiting the Sigur Center website HERE. 

             Please email gsigur@gwu.edu with any questions.

The University of Hawai'i Looking For Conference Participants

Conference Participants Wanted

The School of Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS) at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM) seeks papers, performances, and panel proposals for its 24th annual graduate student conference. The conference will be held on the UHM campus in Honolulu, HI on April 3-5, 2013. The theme this year is “CONTINUITY, CHANGE, AND CONTESTATION: MULTIDISCIPLINARY AND TRANSNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ASIA-PACIFIC.”

In particular, we are looking for papers that:

Incorporate multidisciplinary approaches

Challenge approaches based on a national or regional focus

Engage new and emerging trends in Pacific and/or Asian Studies

Involve any original research on Asia and/or the Pacific

Present Asian and/or Pacific performance practices

As this year's theme indicates, we are interested in accepting papers, performances, and panel proposals that continue, change, and/or contest disciplinary and regional approaches to the study of the Asia/Pacific. With this goal in mind, we also encourage those with a background in the arts to apply with performance proposals. 

We are happy to announce that we have two keynote speakers joining us this year: Dr. Naoki Sakai (Cornell University) and Dr. Barbara Andaya (University of Hawai'i at Mānoa). Information about our keynotes can be found on our website. 

Please submit the application form by February 1, 2013. When submitting the application, please rename the file from “2013 SPAS Abstract Submission Form.doc” to “Applicant’sLastName_Applicant’sFirstName.doc” and email it to gradconf@hawaii.eduby the submission deadline.

Additionally, all accepted papers/panels will have discussants, so presenters should be prepared to submit their papers by March 18, 2013.

Abstract submission deadline: February 1, 2013

For the submission form, please visit the 2013 SPAS Graduate Conference Website: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/spas/?page_id=881

Limited partial travel grants to the conference site may be available.

If you have any questions, please contact the conference planning committee at gradconf@hawaii.edu. For more information, please refer to our Facebook page, “2013 SPAS Graduate Conference.” 

We look forward to receiving your abstracts!

Student Mixer Announcement by OCA

Student Mixer Announcement by OCA

OCA is a pan-Asian civil rights and social justice organization. Founded in 1973, it is the first APA advocacy group to be based in Washington, DC. Today OCA has 80 chapters and affiliates across the United States. OCA aims to advocate for social justice, equal opportunity and fair treatment; to promote civic participation, education, and leadership; to advance coalitions and community building; and to foster cultural heritage.

OCA will be hosting a Student Mixer on Thursday February 7^th, 2013 from 6pm to 8pm. The event will serve as an opportunity for students from universities in the surrounding DMV area to meet OCA staff, executive members, and intern alumni. During the event, students will learn about OCA, the resources it provides, and have the opportunity to learn how they can get involved.

Official Website: http://www.ocanational.org/

Facebook Event: http://www.facebook.com/events/204120223046084/

RSVP at: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LRFFWLZ

Scholarships for Chinese Language Study in Taiwan

As part of its Huayu Enrichment Scholarship (HES) program, the Taiwanese Ministry of Education provides scholarships for American students wanting to study Chinese in Taiwan over the summer. The deadline for summer 2013 applications is March 31, 2013. For more information about the HES, including application materials and submission procedures, please visit the HES website at http://english.moe.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=6777&CtNode=10634&mp=2.

Sigur Center's Spring 2013 Newsletter Now Available Online!

The Sigur Center for Asian Studies has published the Spring 2013 issue of our newsletter, The Asian Connection. This issue covers Sigur Center events and developments from the Fall semester.  

Please find a link to the newsletter on our website below:

 The Asian Connection - Spring 2013