The East-West Center Association Blog

About 300 scholars, officials, educators and business leaders from more than 25 areas all over Asia, the Pacific and the U.S. gathered at Peking University in Beijing Sept. 1-3 for an East-West Center international conference on the theme of “Community Building and Leadership in Asia Pacific.”

The conference featured more than 100 substantive presentations and panels on current regional topics, including international relations, economics, environment, education, arts and culture, health, and much more. The Honorable Gary Locke, United States Ambassador to the PRC, gave the keynote address.
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The East-West Center and EWC Alumni Association will recognize six outstanding alumni and two alumni chapters for their exceptional accomplishments and service at the EWC/EWCA International Conference in Beijing, Sept. 1-3 at Peking University.

Recipients of the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Award are:
Senen Bacani, former Philippines Secretary of Agriculture under President Corazon Aquino and current Chairman and President of La Frutera, Inc., the Philippines’ largest banana exporter.  Bacani established his successful company in the autonomous region of Mindanao helping to bring jobs to the war-torn region. He envisioned La Frutera as a model of how Muslims and Christians can work together.

Amanda Ellis, New Zealand’s Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade in charge of international development. Ellis formerly served as Lead Specialist for Gender and Development for the World Bank, where she played a vital role in economically empowering women in an impressive number of the world’s developing countries.
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Join the Tibet  (Himalayas Everest Base Camp) 12-Day Trekking Tour and support  EWC Scholarships

Dates:  September 4 to 15, 2012

Organized by Jean (Eng) Geer (CLI 78-79), jsgeer@wavecable.com

Ever since I trekked the Himalaya of Nepal to the South Face Everest Base Camp, trekking the Himalaya of Tibet to the North Face Everest Base Camp has been a top “to do in this life.” The Himalaya range is magnificent and the North Face of Mount Everest is described as spectacular. Gary McCue in his book, Trekking Tibet shared: “Nowhere in the Himalaya can the immense height of Mount Everest (29,035 ft, 8850 m) the highest point on Earth, be appreciated as it can be in Tibet. . . . The North Face is arguably its most spectacular side, a sheer wall of rock and ice rising over 2 vertical miles (3.7 km) . . . “
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REMINDER – The early registration and abstract submission deadline is March 31, 2012.

Date: September 1-3, 2012

Venue: Yingjie Exchange Center at Peking University, Beijing, China

Theme: “Community Building and Leadership in Asia Pacific”

Take advantage of the discounted registration fee and submit your abstract for consideration and inclusion in the program by March 31, 2012.
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Funded and sponsored by the East-West Center and the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, the Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) National Conference is an annual event that provides an opportunity for ASDP alumni and other interested college and university faculty members to share research related to Asian cultures and societies. It also promotes sharing of strategies for effectively infusing Asian content into undergraduate humanities and social science curricula.

(Lowell’s celebrated Angkor Dance Troupe performed traditional Cambodian dances as part of the 17^th annual Asian Studies Development Program National Conference, hosted by Middlesex Community College March 24-26 at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. Photo Credit: Middlesex Community College.)

The Middlesex Community College (MCC) in Lowell, Massachusetts hosted the 17th annual Asian Studies Development Program National Conference, held March 24-26, 2011, at the Omni Parker House Hotel in Boston. Titled Asian Studies: Traditions and Transformations, the conference was co-sponsored by MCC, the Asian Studies Development Program (ASPD), and the Association of Regional Centers of Asian Studies.

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The International Forum for Education 2020 Senior Seminar titled “Higher Education Regionalisation in Asia Pacific: Implications for Governance, Citizenship, and University Transformation” is jointly organized by the East-West Center (EWC), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Bangkok Office and the Center for Governance and Citizenship of the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd).

(From left to right: Professor John Lee, Vice President (Academic) and Chair Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the HKIEd, Dr. Molly Lee Nyet Ngo, Senior Program Specialist for Higher Education, Coordinator of APEID at UNESCO Bangkok Office, Dr. Terance Bigalke, Director, Education Program at the EWC, US Professor Mok Ka Ho, Chair Professor of Comparative Policy, Associate Vice President (External Relations), Dean of Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and Co-Director of Center for Governance and Citizenship, HKIEd.  Photo Credit: Hong Kong Institute.)

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Source: APEC USA 2011 Hawai’i Host Committee

A proposal developed by the University of Hawai‘i System to address quality higher education and training in the Asia-Pacific region has been approved and supported by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). As part of the project, higher education leaders and stakeholders from the region will gather in Honolulu in August for a three-day symposium designed to identify and share benchmarks and encourage collaborative efforts.

Entitled “Quality in Higher Education: Identifying, Developing and Sustaining Best Practices in the APEC Region,” the project will address the topic of quality in higher education as a foundation for long-term inclusive growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region. The planning group, chaired by UH Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs/Provost Linda Johnsrud and East-West Center Director of Educational Programs Terry Bigalke, was proposed to APEC on behalf of the United States.

Professor Seiji Naya

On February 23, 2011 the Thai National Institute of Development Administration (NIDA) and the East-West Center hosted a seminar in Honor of Professor Seiji Naya (TDI 70-72, RSI 81, PI 82, CWO 83,  Rsch 02-09).

Professor Seiji Naya was a pioneer of the study of Asian economic cooperation and an indefatigable advocate of ASEAN cooperation for almost a half-century. In recognition of his many accomplishments, the NIDA  bestowed upon Professor Naya the prestigious Honorary Doctorate Award, the first person from outside Thailand ever to receive one. On occasion of this celebration, the East-West Center hosted a seminar, “New Approaches to Asian Economic Cooperation and Development,” which included presentations from noted scholars from throughout the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

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EWC alumni, staff, and degree fellows contributed to a newly published (SEARCA and ISEAS) volume entitled, Sustainability Science for Watershed Landscapes by James Roumasset (USA, FI ‘76-’77, et al.), Kimberly Burnett, and Arsenio Balisacan (Philippines, RSI ‘82-’86). Chapter contributors include Jefferson Fox (EWC Senior Fellow), Sittidaj Pongkijvorasin (Thailand, GDF ‘03-’07), Majah-Leah Ravago (Philippines, GDF’06-present), and Chieko Umetsu (Japan, ENV ‘89-93, et al.). The book’s preface and foreword were written by UHM Vice Chancellor Gary Ostrander and EWC Director of Research, Nancy Lewis, respectively.

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The EWC/EWCA 50th Anniversary International Conference concluded with the biennial alumni conference’s traditional Aloha Dinner and alumni talent show. The dinner capped a four-day conference and reunion that brought together more than 800 EWC alumni and friends from 35 countries.

On Friday, participants were welcomed by an opening ceremony of taiko drumming, hula dance and welcome addresses from Center and Hawai‘i officials, before boarding buses for a joyful homecoming afternoon at the EWC campus.

Maya Soetoro-Ng, daughter of two EWC grantees and currently an education specialist at the Center, conveyed a message of welcome from her brother, President Barack Obama. “My brother is grateful to all of you for your important contribution over the last 50 years in building bridges and working collaboratively throughout the countries of the Asia Pacific region,” she said. “He thanks you for all the grassroots diplomacy you do so well, and that makes his job much easier.”

EWC Board of Governors Chairman Puongpun Sananikone, himself a Center alumnus from the 1960s, called the conference “a great homecoming for the worldwide EWC ‘ohana (family).” He said that “as alumni, we have a responsibility to tell the East-West Center story and share its legacy with the world.”

Center President Charles E. Morrison said that a solid foundation has been laid by the “open book” of the EWC’s half-century of history. “Gazing toward the future of enhanced needs in U.S.-Asia-Pacific research, education, and exchange,” he said, “a challenging but rewarding agenda lies ahead. We have, we can, and we will make a difference.”

Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann said the city and its people are “eternally grateful for the East-West Center and all that you do.” Hawai‘i governor Linda Lingle called the Center “an essential institution of our world going forward” and a integral part of bringing the APEC summit meeting to Honolulu in November 2011.

Over the next the next three days, the conference featured more than 50 expert discussion panels on a range of key regional issues, including climate change, U.S. foreign policy, education issues, governance challenges and more.

Participants, many of whom had not seen each other or returned to Hawai‘i since they were students at the Center, also enjoyed a variety of social festivities, including the EWC homecoming open house; a dinner honoring Hawai‘i Senator Daniel K. Inouye with the East-West Center Association’s Makana Award; a luncheon recognizing distinguished alumni and exceptional volunteers and alumni chapters; an Independence Day reception with the Royal Hawaiian Band and the Aloha Dinner.

At the final dinner, the alumni association presented a special tribute to EWC Alumni Officer Gordon Ring, who has served the Center in a variety of capacities since he first arrived as a student in 1963.

Photos from the Conference

EWC President, Charles E. Morrison’s Address

EWC Board of Governors Chair, Puongpun Sananikone’s Address

Conference Attendees List

Abstract Booklet

Conference Program

2010 Alumni Awards

Special Publication – “East-West Center: Fifty Years, Fifty Stories”