Text
Rosenberg Institute for East Asian Studies
at Suffolk University
Annual Report for 2012-2013
Ronald Suleski, PhD, Director
Overview
Happily the Rosenberg Institute continues to come to the attention of
individuals and organizations both on and off campus. We were
approached by the Ford Hall Forum, the nation’s oldest continuously
operating free public lecture series to co-sponsor a program. The Forum
began in 1908 as a series of Sunday evening public meetings held at
Ford Hall on Beacon Hill. The Forum is supported by Suffolk University.
In spring 2013 Dr. Suleski was invited to speak before a Chinese cultural
group, the Yiwen xiaoji (藝文小集 Arts and Culture Society) in Newton,
a group of locally prominent Chinese-American citizens, a group that
has previously not had any contact with Suffolk. This past academic
year the re-vitalized Chinese Students and Scholars Association has also
asked for Rosenberg Institute for help in sponsoring events, as did the
student-run Suffolk Asian Business Club.
It is now to be expected that when Dr. Suleski visits other campuses in
the area to attend an Asia-related program or reception, people will
comment to him on how active the Rosenberg Institute is both as a
member of the Suffolk community and as a good neighbor to the citizens
of nearby Chinatown in Boston. Rosenberg Institute programs add
luster to the reputation of Suffolk. Indeed, we continue to hear of
1
students who consider study at Suffolk because of its Asian Studies
program.
Under our new president James McCarthy, Suffolk is defining and
stabilizing its mission and goals for the future. The president has been
supportive of the Rosenberg Institute and of its mission to support global
education and awareness, as has Dean Greenberg. In this past academic
year the Institute has also benefitted from the cooperation of many
faculty members who have willingly given public lectures under our
auspices.
A. The section below lists the activities of the Rosenberg Institute
conducted in conformance with the Terms of Agreement signed in July
2007, as modified by the Memorandum by Dean Greenberg agreed to in
Fall 2008. These two documents call for a series of Distinguished
Visitors. We have named this the Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series.
Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series
During the academic year we scheduled 11 public programs on the Suffolk campus
as part of the Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series. We continued to enjoy high
audience numbers. Frequently professors assigned a talk as part of their course
instruction. Talks were held both in the Munce Conference Room, which we have
often used in the past, and also in the Poetry Center in the Sawyer Library. The
latter is a bright venue appreciated by all (but is much in demand). We regularly
found that we had a standing-room-only audience (about 60 persons) in the Poetry
Center. Further, five of the talks were by Suffolk faculty or professional staff,
which served to showcase the talent and depth of learning we offer students on the
Suffolk campus. We sponsored a talk along with the History Department at Suffolk.
Each of the talks drew audience from nearby schools and from the larger Boston
2
community. This serves to enhance Suffolk’s reputation and reinforces our
contribution to the educational community here.
Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series in 2012-2013
Fall 2012 Schedule
The Future of Chinese Seapower 中國未來的海上實力, Dr. Toshi Yoshihara,
Naval War College Dr. Toshi Yoshihara, Naval War College. Students reported
this was an eye-opening talk for them because they had known nothing about
China’s naval strategy or about American reactions to China’s naval build-up.
September 2012
Being an Asian-American in America 美國的亞裔, Dan Wu, Director of
Enrollment Partnership Programs, Suffolk University. Dan is a popular lecturer
because he is close to the age of our students, and tells them stories of
discrimination, some of it not-intended, as he was growing up in the Brookline
section of Boston. October 2012
International Business in Asia Today 今日亞洲國際貿易. Dr. C. Gopinath,
Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University. This popular Sawyer School
professor, known to many by his nickname Gopi, talked about consumers in India
who are very poor and don’t even have places to put consumer products. He then
told how entrepreneurs in India are designing products and marketing strategies
aimed at exactly this audience, and the surprising results when millions of people
become customers. October 2013
China’s New Leadership and the Bo Xilai Scandal 中國的新一代領導與薄熙
來醜聞. Dr. Joseph Fewsmith, Boston University. Coming exactly at the time a
new leadership in China is taking the reins of power, we invited one of the
country’s leading scholars of elite politics in China to speak to our students. This
could not have been a more timely talk. October 2012
3
Social Outcast, Rebellious Critic: The World of Dazai Osamu (1909-1948). 太
宰治の世界。Dr. Sara Dillon, Suffolk Law School. Before taking her law
degree, Dr. Dillon received a PhD in modern Japanese literature from Stanford!
We asked her to speak about the important author she had studied for her
dissertation, to the delight of our students. November 2012
North Korea: The Father, The Son and The Sacred System 北韓: 父，子，與
聖制. Ambassador Friedrich Lohr, Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Suffolk,
former German Ambassador to North Korea. Since Suffolk is the only university
in New England, perhaps anywhere in the US, to have a former ambassador to
North Korea, we asked Professor Lohr to talk to us and show slides of his official
life in Pyongyang. The audience found this an intriguing talk. November 2012
Spring 2013 Schedule
Asian American Studies Perspectives on Health, Work, and Education, Dr.
Peter Nien-chu Kiang (江念祖), Professor of Education and Director of the Asian
American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Wellknown to the Chinese-American community in Boston, Dr. Kiang is a wellorganized and clear speaker. Scheduled for February 2013, the program had to be
cancelled because of a major snowstorm which closed Suffolk.
Italians in China, 1900-1947 Dr. Shirley Smith, Skidmore College. The
Rosenberg Institute joined with the History Department to co-sponsor this talk by a
scholar who has recently published a book about Italians taking part in the colonial
land-grab in China in the 1900s. Students commented favorably on the interesting
slides of Italian architecture in China that she showed. February 2013
My Writing Life: Vietnamese American Writer Andrew Lam Tells His Stories.
Andrew Lam, Author and NPR Commentator Andrew escaped from Vietnam
with his family when he was 11. He grew up in American, but did not forget his
earlier life or the cultural values of the Vietnamese. He spoke about cultural
adjustment and Asian family life in the United States. March 2013
4
Coffee Life in Japan, Dr. Merry White, Boston University. Dr. White tells us
people in Japan drink more coffee than they do tea or beer. Coffee is the favored
drink for business meetings, dating, or when hanging out with friends. Part
academic study and party memoir, she told us about how coffee shops in Japan are
like, but not like, Starbucks. March 2013
Special Public Event: The China Town Hall Meeting
China Town Hall; Local Connections, National Reflections.
Ambassador Gary Locke spoke from Beijing via a live video feed on
Issues in United States - China Relations 中美關係 – 最近報告. This
program, the fourth year in a row for Suffolk, was set for the Suffolk Law
School. China specialist Kevin G. Nealer of the Scowcroft Group that
provides risk analysis and multinational investment management consulting
was to be present to introduce the program and be available to answer
questions from the audience. Sponsored by the Rosenberg Institute at
Suffolk University, WorldBoston (A World Affairs Council), in cooperation
with the National Committee on United States China Relations (New York).
Scheduled for 29 October 2012. Unfortunately, this was the night Hurricane
Sandy hit the east coast, Suffolk closed, and commuters left the city. The online portion of the program went on so it could be watched at home, but we
had to disassemble all of our preparations for this event at Suffolk.
B. During the 2012-2013 academic year being reported here Suffolk again
withdrew money from the earnings of the endowment fund to cover a
portion of the Institute’s budget. Suffolk University has been careful to
honor the specific terms listed in the original agreement with Barbara
and Richard M. Rosenberg. The University hired a full-time
administrator (the Director) for the Institute (going well beyond the
part-time position called for in the original agreement), provided
professional and suitable office space for the Director, and has made
available all of the necessary facilities and support services for
5
Rosenberg Institute activities . It has also supported the marketing and
communications activities of the Institute. The Institute used University
email lists, as well as the email lists developed by the Institute, to
advertise all of its programs and activities.
This Report is submitted in accordance with the original Terms of
Agreement.
C. Cooperation with the Asian Studies Program. As administrator of the
Rosenberg Institute, the Director was asked by the University to
cooperate with the Asian Studies Program established in fall 2009. In
some cases the Rosenberg Institute lent its name in support of these
activities and used its email lists to help draw an audience. The Asian
Studies Program is chaired by Professor Da Zheng. The activities of the
Asian Studies Program were covered entirely by Suffolk University
funds. These programs helped to promote an interest in Asia on the
campus and to encourage interested students to select an Asian Studies
major or minor. Students from other campuses in the area attended
these events, though the majority were Suffolk students. Many faculty
members, from Suffolk and nearby schools, were also present at all of
these events. The Director of the Rosenberg Institute was actively
involved in all of the events listed below.
Promoting Suffolk’s Asia-Related Activities
Dr. Suleski continued to use his extensive of email contacts to publicize
Suffolk programs and activities related to Asia. The lists keep growing
but the only people added are those who voluntarily give their contact
information. These emails build a sense of community among those who
are interested in Asia. They draw in other organizations who ask Dr.
Suleski to publicize their Asia-related talks or programs.
6
Suffolk students studied in China, Japan and Korea during the 2012-2013
academic year. Suffolk had four students in Tokyo at Sophia University during
the academic year. We had two students in China, accepted as part of a special
Fulbright program which gave them full scholarships. They were the subject of
local news coverage by Chinese TV in Xian where they were living. In summer of
2013 we had four students studying in Seoul. These students joined the Summer
Korean Language Institute at Yonsei University. They each received a scholarship
from the Chongha Scholarship Foundation in Seoul, arranged through the
cooperation of Dr. Suleski and Dr. Henry Kim (Economics). Some had the option
of an internship at a Korean company. The Rosenberg Institute was active in
publicizing the opportunities for students, in recruiting and interviewing candidates
for the Asia study abroad programs.
In October 2012 the Asian Studies Program held an Open House. The purpose
was to allow our students who had been on study abroad in the 2011-2012
academic year, including the 2012 summer programs,. The students showed slides
taken while abroad in Asia, and talked about their experiences from their student
perspective. Free Asian food was served. Several Asian Studies faculty introduced
themselves and told about the courses they would offer in the spring 2013 semester.
Once again the Rosenberg Institute was a co-sponsor when the Suffolk community
celebrated the Year of the Snake at a Lunar New Year Party in February 2013.
The program on that occasion included Chinese music played by several students
on traditional instruments, and some guessing games popular with the international
students. An excellent spread of Chinese food was enjoyed by all present. Dr.
Suleski spoke in Chinese to extend the wishes of the Institute to all Suffolk
students of Chinese and Asian ancestry.
In March 2012 the Rosenberg Institute co-sponsored a day-long Suffolk Asia
Business Forum at the Sawyer Business School . The Rosenberg Institute teamed
up with the Suffolk Asian Business Club (SABC) and the Suffolk University Asia
Business Forum (SABF) to put on the event, where a number of prominent
executives told about doing business with Asia. All of the students present agreed
that it was the best networking event any Suffolk student interested in Asia could
ask for.
7
In April 2012 the Rosenberg Institute was involved in promoting Asian American
Heritage Month at Suffolk. The highlight was a talk by noted educator Peter
Nien-chu Kiang 江念祖, Director of the Asian-American Studies Program at
UMass Boston. He spoke about “Education and Empowerment for Asian
Americans in Boston”. The Rosenberg Institute cooperated with the Suffolk Office
of Diversity Services to present the program.
In May 2013, in cooperation with the Ford Hall Forum, the Rosenberg Institute
co-sponsored The Chinese-American Dream, with author Anchee Min.
Moderated by Professor Elif Armbruster of Suffolk’s English Department. The
author’s new book The Cooked Seed, tells her story of leaving China after the
Cultural Revolution and coming to the United States. She worked five jobs at once,
suffered rape, exhaustion and divorce. She told us about her unique immigration
narrative.
D. Every attempt was made to increase the visibility of the Rosenberg
Institute and the Asian Studies Program at Suffolk. The section below
indicates the major categories of these activities: Welcoming Visitors to
the Institute; Promoting Suffolk’s Asia-Related Activities; Community
Outreach Programs.
Visitors to the Rosenberg Institute in 2012-2013
Dr. Suleski is always pleased to welcome professional visitors to the Institute,
where they learn about our programs and also relate the projects they are working
on. They offer advice about possible projects and directions we might take. In no
small measure, they help to spread the word about the active programs of the
Rosenberg Institute to their own institutions. During the 2012-2013 academic year
a number of other Asia-related institutions in New England asked the Rosenberg
Institute to help publicize their events and draw an audience. These instances
represented a recognition of the active programs and influenctial position of the
Rosenberg Institute. Requests came from: The Asia Center at Harvard, the Asian
8
Studies Program at Boston University, UMass Boston, and The Asia Initiatives at
Middlesex Community College.
Visitors to the Rosenberg Institute 2012-2013
Zhang Zhiqiang 張志強. Dr. Zhang is Chair of the Department of Publishing
Science in the School of Information at Nanjing University in China. He is also
Deputy Chair of the National Steering Committee for the Professional Degree of
the Publishing Program in China. He was on the Suffolk campus leading a
delegation of students participating in the Summer Language Program for
Internationals from his university. We renewed our friendship of many years and
talked about the transition from the hard copy to the digital age in publishing and
information delivery. July 2012.
Ming T. Wong 黃明達. Dr. Wong is a medical doctor who was trained in China
but has lived in the US for over the past thirty years. He is currently writing about
the concepts behind Chinese medical thinking in comparison to the values and
standpoints of Western medical thought. He has published in both Chinese and
English on this topic, but wishes to improve his presentation of this material. We
discussed issues of translation and where he might find a qualified research
assistant. September 2012.
Ueda Takako 上田貴子. Dr. Ueda is a professor at Kinki University in Osaka,
Japan. She is specializing in historical Manchuria, the same area as my research.
We talked about the current state of the field, which is currently a very active field
of academic inquiry. She gave me a copy of a recently published book which
contains an article by her. She is familiar with research in this field in Japanese,
Chinese, English and Russian. September 2012.
Victor Seow. Victor is a PhD candidate at Harvard, specializing on the natural
ecology and environment of Northeast Asia, specifically coal and shale as used in
energy production since 1900. Victor organized a panel at Harvard on modern
Manchuria one year ago, and has returned from a year of study in Japan. He had
9
met Professor Ueda in Japan, and so accompanied her to our lunch. September
2012.
Karen Christensen Karen is the CEO of Berkshire Publishing, located in Great
Barrington in the western region of Massachusetts. Her company has concentrated
on environmental issues, along with publishing about Asia and China. Many of
their publications are delivered digitally, and they also combine both concerns of
the company, such as issuing studies on environmental issues in Asia. I once
assisted the company by writing a cover blurb for a book of theirs, and we also
talked about the occasional paper series of the Rosenberg Institute. September
2012.
Fan Kun 樊堃 Dr. Fan is on the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong
Kong. This academic year she is a Visiting Scholar the Harvard-Yenching Institute.
In addition to discussing her research about issues in contemporary Chinese
contract law and examining some of the Chinese historical legal documents in my
collection. The Rosenberg Institute put Dr. Fan in touch with the Suffolk Law
School at her request to explore cooperative programs with the Chinese University
of Hong Kong. November 2012.
The Rosenberg Institute hosted the visit of a delegation from Yonsei University
in Korea, which is rated as the top private university in Korea. The delegation met
with Director Suleski as well as Dean Greenberg, Associate Dean Royo, Professor
Zheng the Director of Suffolk’s Asian Studies Program, and Beth Engwall,
Director of Study Abroad. The delegation was composed of: Lee Insung 이인성.
Dr. Lee is Chancellor of the Wonju campus of Yonsei University. Dr. Lee is a
specialist in international relations, and he met one of our Suffolk students who is
studying international relations and is interested in studying in Korea. (She is
currently in Korea on our Suffolk summer program.); Lee Kyoungjoung 이경중.
Dr. Lee is Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs at the Wonju Campus of Yonsei
University. The Wonju campus has a large biomedical facility, and his research is
on biomedical engineering; Kim Myoungjin 金明侲. Dr. Kim is Dean of the
International Education Center. He welcomes Suffolk students to attend his Center,
where they can receive instruction in English. Osawa Kimiko 大澤貴美子. Dr.
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Osawa is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the East Asia International
College at the Wonju campus. Her field is research is contemporary Japanese
politics. December 2012.
Bob Graham. Mr. Graham is Director of the Publications Program of the Harvard
University Asia Center. These books are distributed through Harvard University
Press. Mr. Graham recently took up his post, so our discussion was about the
publishing world and the process by which these Asia-related books are reviewed
and edited. February 2013.
Li Ren-Yuan 李仁淵. Mr. Li is a Researcher at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.
He is temporarily at Harvard finishing up his PhD dissertation on folk documents
found in Fujian in South China during his recent field research there. He located
and photographed family documents held by typical farmers and passed down
through generations of their families. This is a new way of documenting the lives
of ordinary people in China over the past several hundred years. February 2013.
Melissa Brown. Dr. Brown was a research fellow at Radcliffe College and is now
at the Fairbank Center at Harvard. She has collected data on elderly females living
in rural China about their lives from the 1920s on (data was collected up to about
1998). These first-hand reports tell about the degree to which women worked in
the fields, how they coped with bound feet, the differing prerogatives of men and
women, changing market distribution practices, and more. Several articles about
these studies have appeared and more are due. March 2013.
Jon D. Mills. Mr. Mills is Manager at the Harvard Asia Center. He brought a
prospective Suffolk student to visit our campus. I showed both of them the campus
and we visited with an admissions officer. Jon is also involved at Harvard with the
conference series Asia-Vision 21. We have worked together in the past on projects.
April 2013 (The student has joined the freshmen class at Suffolk.)
Lin Wei-ping 林瑋嬪. Dr. Lin is a professor of Anthropology at National Taiwan
University in Taipei, currently doing advanced research at Harvard. Her field is
popular religious practices, including ceremonies and spirit possession, which Dr.
Suleski describes in his lectures on religious Daoism. A useful conversation took
place. May 2013.
11
Community Outreach Programs
In September 2012, for the third year in a row, through the Rosenberg Institute,
Suffolk provided a welcoming meeting space to the Taiwan diplomatic office in
Boston, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), for their annual
gathering titled Taiwan Student Leaders in America 台灣留學生交流會.
Outstanding students from Taiwan studying the in United States were brought to
the Suffolk campus for a full day of exchanging ideas and experiences. The costs
were completely covered by TECO.
The Rosenberg Institute continues to endorse the Chinese Historical Society of
New England (CHSNE) as one of our community outreach partners. Suffolk
faculty serve on the board of this organization. The Society’s annual dinner was
held in September 2012 at the China Pearl Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown. In
addition to Dr, Suleski and a number of Suffolk faculty, we also met two Suffolk
students from Chinatown who were receiving scholarships awarded through the
auspices of CHENSE.
12
A photo of the Suffolk delegation at the CHSNE gathering and the two students.
Left to right: Ambassador Friedrich Lohr, Suffolk’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar;
Prof. Allan Tow, Government Department; two CHSNE scholarship students
attending Suffolk, Jason Wong and Jonathan Huang; Ronald Suleski, Director of
the Rosenberg Institute; Prof. Robert Hannigan, History Department; Prof Da
Zheng, Director of the Asian Studies Program.
Primary Source is a non-profit organization advocating for the teaching about
Asia in the junior high and high school curriculum. They have achieved a notable
success in New England, which ranks as one of the best regions in the country in
terms of offering courses and study units about Asia. The Rosenberg Institute
endorses Primary Source as one of our Community Outreach Partners. Their
annual gathering was held in October 2012. In April 2013 Primary Source cosponsored the National Chinese Language Conference at the Marriot Copley in
13
Boston. This was in conjunction with the Asia Society and the College Board.
Thousands of teachers, academic administrators, non-profit executives, and even
Chinese language students attended. The Rosenberg Institute assisted in promoting
this event and Dr. Suleski attended the Plenary Session.
In November 2012 the Asian Task Force against Domestic Violence (ATASK)
held a social gathering and buffet dinner. This organization does important work
by providing intervention and counseling for Asian women in the state who are
victims of domestic violence. A Suffolk faculty member and a member of the
Asian Studies Committee, Dr. Sukanya Ray in Psychology, is a board member of
this group.
In December 2012 Suffolk University and the Rosenberg Institute hosted 17
students and faculty from Brookline High School. They were welcomed by Dan
Wu from International Student Advising and Study Abroad, who is a graduate of
BHS. Ronald Suleski of the Rosenberg Institute also welcomed the students to our
campus. Suffolk Student Ambassador Brad Migliacci then took everyone on a tour
of Suffolk. Eight of these students were from the Gaoxin School in Xian China,
staying with host families in Brookline. Nine of the students were from BHS.
They were studying Chinese and in the spring 2013 semester they lived with their
host families in China.
In March 2013 the Boston Chinatown Community Center (BCNC) annual
Chinese New Year banquet was held at the Empire Garden Restaurant in
Chinatown. The Rosenberg Institute endorses their activities, which are widely
recognized in the Boston area. A delegation from Suffolk including Dr. Suleski
attended their annual banquet. BCNC continues to expand their programs, They
have provided internship opportunities for Suffolk students, and in the past have
hired Suffolk students for their staff.
In April 2013 Dr. Suleski was invited to speak to a Chinese citizens group in
Newton. Titled the Arts and Culture Group (wenyi xiaoji 文藝小集), they
wanted to know about Dr. Suleski’s research, and at the same time proudly showed
the facilities of the building they own in Newton. The group’s activities are bi-
14
lingual in Chinese and English, and a number of prominent Chinese-American
citizens from the Newton community were present.
Middlesex Community College is an outstanding community college located in
Lowell, MA. They are particularly active in bringing programs about Asia to their
campus. On a number of occasions they have asked the Rosenberg Institute to help
publicize their activities, and Dr. Suleski was pleased to assist. Their faculty and
Suffolk faculty often meet at New England conferences, so good communication
continues to characterize Middlesex and the Rosenberg Institute.
End
15
at Suffolk University
Annual Report for 2012-2013
Ronald Suleski, PhD, Director
Overview
Happily the Rosenberg Institute continues to come to the attention of
individuals and organizations both on and off campus. We were
approached by the Ford Hall Forum, the nation’s oldest continuously
operating free public lecture series to co-sponsor a program. The Forum
began in 1908 as a series of Sunday evening public meetings held at
Ford Hall on Beacon Hill. The Forum is supported by Suffolk University.
In spring 2013 Dr. Suleski was invited to speak before a Chinese cultural
group, the Yiwen xiaoji (藝文小集 Arts and Culture Society) in Newton,
a group of locally prominent Chinese-American citizens, a group that
has previously not had any contact with Suffolk. This past academic
year the re-vitalized Chinese Students and Scholars Association has also
asked for Rosenberg Institute for help in sponsoring events, as did the
student-run Suffolk Asian Business Club.
It is now to be expected that when Dr. Suleski visits other campuses in
the area to attend an Asia-related program or reception, people will
comment to him on how active the Rosenberg Institute is both as a
member of the Suffolk community and as a good neighbor to the citizens
of nearby Chinatown in Boston. Rosenberg Institute programs add
luster to the reputation of Suffolk. Indeed, we continue to hear of
1
students who consider study at Suffolk because of its Asian Studies
program.
Under our new president James McCarthy, Suffolk is defining and
stabilizing its mission and goals for the future. The president has been
supportive of the Rosenberg Institute and of its mission to support global
education and awareness, as has Dean Greenberg. In this past academic
year the Institute has also benefitted from the cooperation of many
faculty members who have willingly given public lectures under our
auspices.
A. The section below lists the activities of the Rosenberg Institute
conducted in conformance with the Terms of Agreement signed in July
2007, as modified by the Memorandum by Dean Greenberg agreed to in
Fall 2008. These two documents call for a series of Distinguished
Visitors. We have named this the Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series.
Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series
During the academic year we scheduled 11 public programs on the Suffolk campus
as part of the Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series. We continued to enjoy high
audience numbers. Frequently professors assigned a talk as part of their course
instruction. Talks were held both in the Munce Conference Room, which we have
often used in the past, and also in the Poetry Center in the Sawyer Library. The
latter is a bright venue appreciated by all (but is much in demand). We regularly
found that we had a standing-room-only audience (about 60 persons) in the Poetry
Center. Further, five of the talks were by Suffolk faculty or professional staff,
which served to showcase the talent and depth of learning we offer students on the
Suffolk campus. We sponsored a talk along with the History Department at Suffolk.
Each of the talks drew audience from nearby schools and from the larger Boston
2
community. This serves to enhance Suffolk’s reputation and reinforces our
contribution to the educational community here.
Rosenberg Institute Scholar Series in 2012-2013
Fall 2012 Schedule
The Future of Chinese Seapower 中國未來的海上實力, Dr. Toshi Yoshihara,
Naval War College Dr. Toshi Yoshihara, Naval War College. Students reported
this was an eye-opening talk for them because they had known nothing about
China’s naval strategy or about American reactions to China’s naval build-up.
September 2012
Being an Asian-American in America 美國的亞裔, Dan Wu, Director of
Enrollment Partnership Programs, Suffolk University. Dan is a popular lecturer
because he is close to the age of our students, and tells them stories of
discrimination, some of it not-intended, as he was growing up in the Brookline
section of Boston. October 2012
International Business in Asia Today 今日亞洲國際貿易. Dr. C. Gopinath,
Sawyer Business School, Suffolk University. This popular Sawyer School
professor, known to many by his nickname Gopi, talked about consumers in India
who are very poor and don’t even have places to put consumer products. He then
told how entrepreneurs in India are designing products and marketing strategies
aimed at exactly this audience, and the surprising results when millions of people
become customers. October 2013
China’s New Leadership and the Bo Xilai Scandal 中國的新一代領導與薄熙
來醜聞. Dr. Joseph Fewsmith, Boston University. Coming exactly at the time a
new leadership in China is taking the reins of power, we invited one of the
country’s leading scholars of elite politics in China to speak to our students. This
could not have been a more timely talk. October 2012
3
Social Outcast, Rebellious Critic: The World of Dazai Osamu (1909-1948). 太
宰治の世界。Dr. Sara Dillon, Suffolk Law School. Before taking her law
degree, Dr. Dillon received a PhD in modern Japanese literature from Stanford!
We asked her to speak about the important author she had studied for her
dissertation, to the delight of our students. November 2012
North Korea: The Father, The Son and The Sacred System 北韓: 父，子，與
聖制. Ambassador Friedrich Lohr, Distinguished Visiting Scholar at Suffolk,
former German Ambassador to North Korea. Since Suffolk is the only university
in New England, perhaps anywhere in the US, to have a former ambassador to
North Korea, we asked Professor Lohr to talk to us and show slides of his official
life in Pyongyang. The audience found this an intriguing talk. November 2012
Spring 2013 Schedule
Asian American Studies Perspectives on Health, Work, and Education, Dr.
Peter Nien-chu Kiang (江念祖), Professor of Education and Director of the Asian
American Studies Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Wellknown to the Chinese-American community in Boston, Dr. Kiang is a wellorganized and clear speaker. Scheduled for February 2013, the program had to be
cancelled because of a major snowstorm which closed Suffolk.
Italians in China, 1900-1947 Dr. Shirley Smith, Skidmore College. The
Rosenberg Institute joined with the History Department to co-sponsor this talk by a
scholar who has recently published a book about Italians taking part in the colonial
land-grab in China in the 1900s. Students commented favorably on the interesting
slides of Italian architecture in China that she showed. February 2013
My Writing Life: Vietnamese American Writer Andrew Lam Tells His Stories.
Andrew Lam, Author and NPR Commentator Andrew escaped from Vietnam
with his family when he was 11. He grew up in American, but did not forget his
earlier life or the cultural values of the Vietnamese. He spoke about cultural
adjustment and Asian family life in the United States. March 2013
4
Coffee Life in Japan, Dr. Merry White, Boston University. Dr. White tells us
people in Japan drink more coffee than they do tea or beer. Coffee is the favored
drink for business meetings, dating, or when hanging out with friends. Part
academic study and party memoir, she told us about how coffee shops in Japan are
like, but not like, Starbucks. March 2013
Special Public Event: The China Town Hall Meeting
China Town Hall; Local Connections, National Reflections.
Ambassador Gary Locke spoke from Beijing via a live video feed on
Issues in United States - China Relations 中美關係 – 最近報告. This
program, the fourth year in a row for Suffolk, was set for the Suffolk Law
School. China specialist Kevin G. Nealer of the Scowcroft Group that
provides risk analysis and multinational investment management consulting
was to be present to introduce the program and be available to answer
questions from the audience. Sponsored by the Rosenberg Institute at
Suffolk University, WorldBoston (A World Affairs Council), in cooperation
with the National Committee on United States China Relations (New York).
Scheduled for 29 October 2012. Unfortunately, this was the night Hurricane
Sandy hit the east coast, Suffolk closed, and commuters left the city. The online portion of the program went on so it could be watched at home, but we
had to disassemble all of our preparations for this event at Suffolk.
B. During the 2012-2013 academic year being reported here Suffolk again
withdrew money from the earnings of the endowment fund to cover a
portion of the Institute’s budget. Suffolk University has been careful to
honor the specific terms listed in the original agreement with Barbara
and Richard M. Rosenberg. The University hired a full-time
administrator (the Director) for the Institute (going well beyond the
part-time position called for in the original agreement), provided
professional and suitable office space for the Director, and has made
available all of the necessary facilities and support services for
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Rosenberg Institute activities . It has also supported the marketing and
communications activities of the Institute. The Institute used University
email lists, as well as the email lists developed by the Institute, to
advertise all of its programs and activities.
This Report is submitted in accordance with the original Terms of
Agreement.
C. Cooperation with the Asian Studies Program. As administrator of the
Rosenberg Institute, the Director was asked by the University to
cooperate with the Asian Studies Program established in fall 2009. In
some cases the Rosenberg Institute lent its name in support of these
activities and used its email lists to help draw an audience. The Asian
Studies Program is chaired by Professor Da Zheng. The activities of the
Asian Studies Program were covered entirely by Suffolk University
funds. These programs helped to promote an interest in Asia on the
campus and to encourage interested students to select an Asian Studies
major or minor. Students from other campuses in the area attended
these events, though the majority were Suffolk students. Many faculty
members, from Suffolk and nearby schools, were also present at all of
these events. The Director of the Rosenberg Institute was actively
involved in all of the events listed below.
Promoting Suffolk’s Asia-Related Activities
Dr. Suleski continued to use his extensive of email contacts to publicize
Suffolk programs and activities related to Asia. The lists keep growing
but the only people added are those who voluntarily give their contact
information. These emails build a sense of community among those who
are interested in Asia. They draw in other organizations who ask Dr.
Suleski to publicize their Asia-related talks or programs.
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Suffolk students studied in China, Japan and Korea during the 2012-2013
academic year. Suffolk had four students in Tokyo at Sophia University during
the academic year. We had two students in China, accepted as part of a special
Fulbright program which gave them full scholarships. They were the subject of
local news coverage by Chinese TV in Xian where they were living. In summer of
2013 we had four students studying in Seoul. These students joined the Summer
Korean Language Institute at Yonsei University. They each received a scholarship
from the Chongha Scholarship Foundation in Seoul, arranged through the
cooperation of Dr. Suleski and Dr. Henry Kim (Economics). Some had the option
of an internship at a Korean company. The Rosenberg Institute was active in
publicizing the opportunities for students, in recruiting and interviewing candidates
for the Asia study abroad programs.
In October 2012 the Asian Studies Program held an Open House. The purpose
was to allow our students who had been on study abroad in the 2011-2012
academic year, including the 2012 summer programs,. The students showed slides
taken while abroad in Asia, and talked about their experiences from their student
perspective. Free Asian food was served. Several Asian Studies faculty introduced
themselves and told about the courses they would offer in the spring 2013 semester.
Once again the Rosenberg Institute was a co-sponsor when the Suffolk community
celebrated the Year of the Snake at a Lunar New Year Party in February 2013.
The program on that occasion included Chinese music played by several students
on traditional instruments, and some guessing games popular with the international
students. An excellent spread of Chinese food was enjoyed by all present. Dr.
Suleski spoke in Chinese to extend the wishes of the Institute to all Suffolk
students of Chinese and Asian ancestry.
In March 2012 the Rosenberg Institute co-sponsored a day-long Suffolk Asia
Business Forum at the Sawyer Business School . The Rosenberg Institute teamed
up with the Suffolk Asian Business Club (SABC) and the Suffolk University Asia
Business Forum (SABF) to put on the event, where a number of prominent
executives told about doing business with Asia. All of the students present agreed
that it was the best networking event any Suffolk student interested in Asia could
ask for.
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In April 2012 the Rosenberg Institute was involved in promoting Asian American
Heritage Month at Suffolk. The highlight was a talk by noted educator Peter
Nien-chu Kiang 江念祖, Director of the Asian-American Studies Program at
UMass Boston. He spoke about “Education and Empowerment for Asian
Americans in Boston”. The Rosenberg Institute cooperated with the Suffolk Office
of Diversity Services to present the program.
In May 2013, in cooperation with the Ford Hall Forum, the Rosenberg Institute
co-sponsored The Chinese-American Dream, with author Anchee Min.
Moderated by Professor Elif Armbruster of Suffolk’s English Department. The
author’s new book The Cooked Seed, tells her story of leaving China after the
Cultural Revolution and coming to the United States. She worked five jobs at once,
suffered rape, exhaustion and divorce. She told us about her unique immigration
narrative.
D. Every attempt was made to increase the visibility of the Rosenberg
Institute and the Asian Studies Program at Suffolk. The section below
indicates the major categories of these activities: Welcoming Visitors to
the Institute; Promoting Suffolk’s Asia-Related Activities; Community
Outreach Programs.
Visitors to the Rosenberg Institute in 2012-2013
Dr. Suleski is always pleased to welcome professional visitors to the Institute,
where they learn about our programs and also relate the projects they are working
on. They offer advice about possible projects and directions we might take. In no
small measure, they help to spread the word about the active programs of the
Rosenberg Institute to their own institutions. During the 2012-2013 academic year
a number of other Asia-related institutions in New England asked the Rosenberg
Institute to help publicize their events and draw an audience. These instances
represented a recognition of the active programs and influenctial position of the
Rosenberg Institute. Requests came from: The Asia Center at Harvard, the Asian
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Studies Program at Boston University, UMass Boston, and The Asia Initiatives at
Middlesex Community College.
Visitors to the Rosenberg Institute 2012-2013
Zhang Zhiqiang 張志強. Dr. Zhang is Chair of the Department of Publishing
Science in the School of Information at Nanjing University in China. He is also
Deputy Chair of the National Steering Committee for the Professional Degree of
the Publishing Program in China. He was on the Suffolk campus leading a
delegation of students participating in the Summer Language Program for
Internationals from his university. We renewed our friendship of many years and
talked about the transition from the hard copy to the digital age in publishing and
information delivery. July 2012.
Ming T. Wong 黃明達. Dr. Wong is a medical doctor who was trained in China
but has lived in the US for over the past thirty years. He is currently writing about
the concepts behind Chinese medical thinking in comparison to the values and
standpoints of Western medical thought. He has published in both Chinese and
English on this topic, but wishes to improve his presentation of this material. We
discussed issues of translation and where he might find a qualified research
assistant. September 2012.
Ueda Takako 上田貴子. Dr. Ueda is a professor at Kinki University in Osaka,
Japan. She is specializing in historical Manchuria, the same area as my research.
We talked about the current state of the field, which is currently a very active field
of academic inquiry. She gave me a copy of a recently published book which
contains an article by her. She is familiar with research in this field in Japanese,
Chinese, English and Russian. September 2012.
Victor Seow. Victor is a PhD candidate at Harvard, specializing on the natural
ecology and environment of Northeast Asia, specifically coal and shale as used in
energy production since 1900. Victor organized a panel at Harvard on modern
Manchuria one year ago, and has returned from a year of study in Japan. He had
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met Professor Ueda in Japan, and so accompanied her to our lunch. September
2012.
Karen Christensen Karen is the CEO of Berkshire Publishing, located in Great
Barrington in the western region of Massachusetts. Her company has concentrated
on environmental issues, along with publishing about Asia and China. Many of
their publications are delivered digitally, and they also combine both concerns of
the company, such as issuing studies on environmental issues in Asia. I once
assisted the company by writing a cover blurb for a book of theirs, and we also
talked about the occasional paper series of the Rosenberg Institute. September
2012.
Fan Kun 樊堃 Dr. Fan is on the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong
Kong. This academic year she is a Visiting Scholar the Harvard-Yenching Institute.
In addition to discussing her research about issues in contemporary Chinese
contract law and examining some of the Chinese historical legal documents in my
collection. The Rosenberg Institute put Dr. Fan in touch with the Suffolk Law
School at her request to explore cooperative programs with the Chinese University
of Hong Kong. November 2012.
The Rosenberg Institute hosted the visit of a delegation from Yonsei University
in Korea, which is rated as the top private university in Korea. The delegation met
with Director Suleski as well as Dean Greenberg, Associate Dean Royo, Professor
Zheng the Director of Suffolk’s Asian Studies Program, and Beth Engwall,
Director of Study Abroad. The delegation was composed of: Lee Insung 이인성.
Dr. Lee is Chancellor of the Wonju campus of Yonsei University. Dr. Lee is a
specialist in international relations, and he met one of our Suffolk students who is
studying international relations and is interested in studying in Korea. (She is
currently in Korea on our Suffolk summer program.); Lee Kyoungjoung 이경중.
Dr. Lee is Dean of Academic and Faculty Affairs at the Wonju Campus of Yonsei
University. The Wonju campus has a large biomedical facility, and his research is
on biomedical engineering; Kim Myoungjin 金明侲. Dr. Kim is Dean of the
International Education Center. He welcomes Suffolk students to attend his Center,
where they can receive instruction in English. Osawa Kimiko 大澤貴美子. Dr.
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Osawa is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the East Asia International
College at the Wonju campus. Her field is research is contemporary Japanese
politics. December 2012.
Bob Graham. Mr. Graham is Director of the Publications Program of the Harvard
University Asia Center. These books are distributed through Harvard University
Press. Mr. Graham recently took up his post, so our discussion was about the
publishing world and the process by which these Asia-related books are reviewed
and edited. February 2013.
Li Ren-Yuan 李仁淵. Mr. Li is a Researcher at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan.
He is temporarily at Harvard finishing up his PhD dissertation on folk documents
found in Fujian in South China during his recent field research there. He located
and photographed family documents held by typical farmers and passed down
through generations of their families. This is a new way of documenting the lives
of ordinary people in China over the past several hundred years. February 2013.
Melissa Brown. Dr. Brown was a research fellow at Radcliffe College and is now
at the Fairbank Center at Harvard. She has collected data on elderly females living
in rural China about their lives from the 1920s on (data was collected up to about
1998). These first-hand reports tell about the degree to which women worked in
the fields, how they coped with bound feet, the differing prerogatives of men and
women, changing market distribution practices, and more. Several articles about
these studies have appeared and more are due. March 2013.
Jon D. Mills. Mr. Mills is Manager at the Harvard Asia Center. He brought a
prospective Suffolk student to visit our campus. I showed both of them the campus
and we visited with an admissions officer. Jon is also involved at Harvard with the
conference series Asia-Vision 21. We have worked together in the past on projects.
April 2013 (The student has joined the freshmen class at Suffolk.)
Lin Wei-ping 林瑋嬪. Dr. Lin is a professor of Anthropology at National Taiwan
University in Taipei, currently doing advanced research at Harvard. Her field is
popular religious practices, including ceremonies and spirit possession, which Dr.
Suleski describes in his lectures on religious Daoism. A useful conversation took
place. May 2013.
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Community Outreach Programs
In September 2012, for the third year in a row, through the Rosenberg Institute,
Suffolk provided a welcoming meeting space to the Taiwan diplomatic office in
Boston, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO), for their annual
gathering titled Taiwan Student Leaders in America 台灣留學生交流會.
Outstanding students from Taiwan studying the in United States were brought to
the Suffolk campus for a full day of exchanging ideas and experiences. The costs
were completely covered by TECO.
The Rosenberg Institute continues to endorse the Chinese Historical Society of
New England (CHSNE) as one of our community outreach partners. Suffolk
faculty serve on the board of this organization. The Society’s annual dinner was
held in September 2012 at the China Pearl Restaurant in Boston’s Chinatown. In
addition to Dr, Suleski and a number of Suffolk faculty, we also met two Suffolk
students from Chinatown who were receiving scholarships awarded through the
auspices of CHENSE.
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A photo of the Suffolk delegation at the CHSNE gathering and the two students.
Left to right: Ambassador Friedrich Lohr, Suffolk’s Distinguished Visiting Scholar;
Prof. Allan Tow, Government Department; two CHSNE scholarship students
attending Suffolk, Jason Wong and Jonathan Huang; Ronald Suleski, Director of
the Rosenberg Institute; Prof. Robert Hannigan, History Department; Prof Da
Zheng, Director of the Asian Studies Program.
Primary Source is a non-profit organization advocating for the teaching about
Asia in the junior high and high school curriculum. They have achieved a notable
success in New England, which ranks as one of the best regions in the country in
terms of offering courses and study units about Asia. The Rosenberg Institute
endorses Primary Source as one of our Community Outreach Partners. Their
annual gathering was held in October 2012. In April 2013 Primary Source cosponsored the National Chinese Language Conference at the Marriot Copley in
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Boston. This was in conjunction with the Asia Society and the College Board.
Thousands of teachers, academic administrators, non-profit executives, and even
Chinese language students attended. The Rosenberg Institute assisted in promoting
this event and Dr. Suleski attended the Plenary Session.
In November 2012 the Asian Task Force against Domestic Violence (ATASK)
held a social gathering and buffet dinner. This organization does important work
by providing intervention and counseling for Asian women in the state who are
victims of domestic violence. A Suffolk faculty member and a member of the
Asian Studies Committee, Dr. Sukanya Ray in Psychology, is a board member of
this group.
In December 2012 Suffolk University and the Rosenberg Institute hosted 17
students and faculty from Brookline High School. They were welcomed by Dan
Wu from International Student Advising and Study Abroad, who is a graduate of
BHS. Ronald Suleski of the Rosenberg Institute also welcomed the students to our
campus. Suffolk Student Ambassador Brad Migliacci then took everyone on a tour
of Suffolk. Eight of these students were from the Gaoxin School in Xian China,
staying with host families in Brookline. Nine of the students were from BHS.
They were studying Chinese and in the spring 2013 semester they lived with their
host families in China.
In March 2013 the Boston Chinatown Community Center (BCNC) annual
Chinese New Year banquet was held at the Empire Garden Restaurant in
Chinatown. The Rosenberg Institute endorses their activities, which are widely
recognized in the Boston area. A delegation from Suffolk including Dr. Suleski
attended their annual banquet. BCNC continues to expand their programs, They
have provided internship opportunities for Suffolk students, and in the past have
hired Suffolk students for their staff.
In April 2013 Dr. Suleski was invited to speak to a Chinese citizens group in
Newton. Titled the Arts and Culture Group (wenyi xiaoji 文藝小集), they
wanted to know about Dr. Suleski’s research, and at the same time proudly showed
the facilities of the building they own in Newton. The group’s activities are bi-
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lingual in Chinese and English, and a number of prominent Chinese-American
citizens from the Newton community were present.
Middlesex Community College is an outstanding community college located in
Lowell, MA. They are particularly active in bringing programs about Asia to their
campus. On a number of occasions they have asked the Rosenberg Institute to help
publicize their activities, and Dr. Suleski was pleased to assist. Their faculty and
Suffolk faculty often meet at New England conferences, so good communication
continues to characterize Middlesex and the Rosenberg Institute.
End
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