East-West Center Association
Chapter Development Committee, Quarterly Reports
2018 4th Quarter Chapter Reports (October to December)
Compiled by Dr. Jessica A. Sheetz-Nguyen
Vice President for Chapter Development

Thank you to the 25 Chapters who submitted their fourth-quarter reports for 2018. Chapter submissions help us and others to know about your activities and your continued patronage for EWCA/EWC outreach. The following Chapters and representatives responded this quarter. These include:

1) APLP (Melissa Pawneshing); 2) ASDP (Dona M. Cady); 3) Brisbane, Australia (Iraphne Childs); 4) Chennai, India (Dr. S. Rajamani); 5) Colombo, Sri Lanka (Asanga Tilakaratne); 6) Dhaka, Bangladesh (Abu Ekramul Ahsan); 7) Faisalabad, Pakistan (Muhammad Ibrahim); 8) Hawaii, USA (Carl Hefner); 9) Hong Kong (Mark Sheldon); 10) Islamabad, Pakistan (Arjumand Faisel); 11) Kansai, Japan (Fumiteru Nitta); 12) Karachi, Pakistan (Ghazala Fasih); 13) Kathmandu, Nepal (Nirendra Maske); 14) Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (Dr. Gan Siowck Lee); 15) Mumbai, India (Sarosh Bana); 16) New York (Bill Armbruster); 17) Northern California (Barbara Bornet Stumph); 18) Okinawa, Japan (Kiyoshi Nakachi); 19) Seoul, Republic of Korea (Eunyoung Cho); 20) Singapore (Alice Seok Hoon Seng); 21) Southern California, USA (Claire Langham); 22) Taipei, Taiwan (Gary Lin); 23) Tokyo, Japan (Yasuo Hoshino); 24) Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Amaraa Batchuluun); 25) Vientiane, Laos (Chanthavong Saignasith)

ASIA PACIFIC LEADERSHIP PROGRAM (APLP) CHAPTER
President: Melissa Pawneshing
From: The Navigator – APLP Announcements (Issue #14, Q4 2018)

Congratulations to all the APLP Alumni who received grants from the East-West Center Leadership Program. The Competitive Funding Opportunity for EWC Leadership Program Alumni launched the EWC Innovation Laboratories (EWC Labs) Fall 2018 consisting of teams of 2-3 alumni mentors in a shared location are supporting an EWC Lab founder. For this round, founders applied for support and $3000 USD to scale an existing successful initiative within their organization. Lab teams include members from different Leadership Programs and cohorts.

• EWC Lab in Ankara, Founder Oguz Tosun (SUSI)
• EWC Lab Makassar, Founder Zulkhaidir Purwanto (YSEALI)
• EWC Lab in Beijing, founded by Michael C. Keefrider (APLP)
• EWC Lab Yangon, Founder Hla Hla Win (APLP)
• EWC Lab Singapore, Founder Edward Yee (YSEALI)
• EWC Lab Auckland, Founder ‘Ofeina Manuel-Barbarich (APLP)
• EWC Lab Dhaka, Founder Khalid Md Bahauddin (APLP)

The APLP Chapter is taking their leadership learnings, think pieces, and capacity building LIVE! Leadership LIVE is a social media initiative through the APLP private alumni Facebook group where APLP alumni can give talks, presentations, or just have a conversation on a topic chosen by the presenter. Topics could include (but are not limited to) an area of expertise, leadership stories, think pieces, capacity/skill building – the sky is the limit.
Contact the Asia Pacific Leadership Program (APLP) Chapter

ASIAN STUDIES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (ASDP) CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Dona M. Cady

The Asian Studies Development Program’s 25th Annual Conference will be held March 7-9, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee, hosted by Regional Center Belmont University. The theme of the conference, Wellbeing in Asian Traditions of Thought and Practice, is intended to stimulate interdisciplinary conversations about the meanings of and means-to wellbeing, expanding the field of wellbeing research beyond the disciplines of psychology, sociology and health sciences to include philosophical, political, economic, religious, artistic, literary and historical engagements with wellbeing.

With alumni membership of over 1,300, ASDP alumni and other interested college and university faculty members welcome this opportunity to share research related to Asian cultures and societies, as well as strategies for infusing Asian content into undergraduate humanities, social science, business, and science curricula. Known for its multi-disciplinary approach and convivial dynamics, the ASDP National Conference also offers an opportunity to extend professional networks and explore new possibilities for both personal and institutional collaboration. Join us in Nashville – Music City, USA!

Centering Korea in the Curriculum
The University of Central Arkansas and Hendrix College are happy to announce the following pedagogical workshop:

Despite its increasing prominence in headlines and global popular culture, Korea still often seems to be the odd country out in undergraduate curricula. This interdisciplinary workshop suggests Korea-related topics, resources, and high impact pedagogical practices for a diversity of fields including history, music, religious studies, international affairs, gender studies, and race and ethnicity studies. It is geared toward non-Korea specialists and consists of three separate events which you are welcome to attend individually: a thematic workshop on the campus of Hendrix College on Friday, February 8th from 2 to 5pm, a keynote lecture at UCA’s McCastlain Ballroom that evening at 7:30, and a second workshop focused on practical strategies at UCA’s Stanley Russ Auditorium on Saturday, February 9th, from 8:30am – 12pm. The workshop has also been approved by the Arkansas Department of Education for up to five hours of professional development credit.
Contact the Asian Studies Development Program (ASDP) Chapter

BRISBANE CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Iraphne Childs

No report
Contact the Brisbane Chapter

CHENNAI CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Sonna Belliappa Pemanda
Report submitted by Dr. S. Rajamani

Meeting of EWCA Chennai chapter in cooperation with EWCA Mumbai Chapter on 22nd Oct. 2018 at Chennai – The meeting was attended by Mr. DK Sankaran, Former Chief Secretary of Maharastra and his wife Ms. Joyce both IAS from EWCA Mumbai Chapter, President – Mr. P.M. Belliappa, Secretary – Dr. S. Rajamani, Dr. Syed – Jefferson Fellow, Mr. Phani Kumar and Ms. Shreya – APLP and Dr. Vasanthi Ranganathan. Mr. Sankaran and Ms. Joyce shared about their time at EWC, Hawaii. Ms. Joyce had completed her Masters and Doctoral work in EWC, had two kids and raised them with all the Ohana. It was a pleasure. It is good that both Mumbai and Chennai EWCA Chapters have come together for the first time. We plan to do a few more activities together. The Award recommended by Chennai chapter and received by me was shared and well appreciated by the team.

Dr. S. Rajamani and Dr. Vasanthi shared the active participation of the EWCA Chennai Chapter members and experience in International EWC Alumni Conference at Seoul, South Korea.

Ms. Shreya and Dr. Vasanthi shared on the Alumni connect meeting along with the others who had gone on scholarships to the US. It was organized by Ms. Chitra Jaishankar, Alumni Officer at Chennai Consulate. Ms.Shreya and Mr.Phani Kumar reported on the joint session on entrepreneurship for Sri Ramachandra Medical College.

The future plan of activities including the proposal received from EWC for the APLP launch in Chennai during August 2019 have been discussed and planned to have followup meeting during November 2018.

President and Mr. Syed shared their experience on the media conference at Singapore.

EWC Alum dinner at Madras Boat Club on December 12, 2018 with Jocelyn Ford and two other visitors from Hawaii.

Acknowledgement – Thanks for the contribution and support of EWCA Chennai Chapter Members, EWCA Mumbai Chapter Members, EWCA Seoul Chapter, EWC/EWCA, Hawaii, US Consulate in Chennai, Rotary Club and other organizations.
Contact the Chennai Chapter

COLOMBO CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Asanga Tilakaratne

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Colombo Chapter

DHAKA CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Abu Ekramul Ahsan

Chapter Meeting
Subsequent to participation in the 2018 EWC/EWCA International Conference in Seoul, Korea during 23-25 August 2018, the Bangladesh Chapter had a couple of meetings in the form of audio-conference. The last chapter meeting during the reporting period was held on December 21, 2018, which was attended by the following members.
1. Dr. Abu A. M. Ekramul Ahsan
2. Prof. Md. Abdul Mannan
3. Prof. Najma Haque
4. Ms. Moushumi Das Purkastha
5. Mr. Maruf Hossain
The experience of the 2018 EWC/EWCA International Conference in Seoul, Korea during 23-25 August 2018 was discussed in the meeting. It was decided to follow up the community development activities of the chapter in general and to extend support to the Zinda Park community activities including support to the rural-based school therein.

Outstanding Chapter Award 2018
The Chapter meeting expressed pleasure and appreciation for Bangladesh Chapter being honored with the “Outstanding Chapter Award 2018” recognizing the Association’s community development services for working with a rural school. The award was presented formally at the Award Ceremony during 2018 International Conference in Seoul, Korea.

Chapter Member Awarded Honorary Doctorate
Professor Md. Abdul Mannan, an active member of the Bangladesh Alumni Chapter and currently Chairman, University Grants Commission in Bangladesh has been awarded the honorary degree of D Litt. (Honoris Causa) by the University of Science and Technology, Meghalaya, India in recognition of his contribution to development of higher education. The Bangladesh Chapter congratulated Prof. Mannan on receiving this prestigious award.

Chapter Received Seasons’ Greetings from President, EWC
The Chapter Leader received Season’s Greetings from Dr. Richard R. Vuylsteke, President, EWC which he shared with other members of the Bangladesh Chapter. The Chapter meeting held on 21 December 2018 appreciated and thanked the President EWC,

Chapter Meetings
The Bangladesh Chapter plans to hold the next chapter meeting in the first week of January 2019 with a New Year’s get together. Details to be worked out later.
Contact the Dhaka Chapter

FAISALABAD, CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Arjumand Faisel

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Faisalabad Chapter

HAWAII CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Carl Hefner

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Hawaii Chapter

HONG KONG CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Mark Sheldon

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Hong Kong Chapter

ISLAMABAD CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Dr. Arjumand Faisel

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Islamabad Chapter

KANSAI CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Fumiteru Nitta

Kansai Chapter engaged in the following activities between October 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018.

Seven board members and one observer of Kansai Chapter had a board meeting at Osaka University on December 24, 2018. The agenda discussed included the following:

1) Planned to hold the general assembly for 2018-2019 in June in Okayama:

a) Proposed dates: June 15th or June 22nd
b) Proposed place: Kurashiki City
c) Proposed addenda: To discuss topics for the general assembly

2) Discussed topics for an event or a seminar in Okayama sponsored by the Kansai Chapter. Proposed topics or ideas were as follows:

a) A lecture by Megumi Hara, a board member
b) To ask Shintaro Taniguchi, a former President of EWCPA
c) A talk by Nobukazu Tanii, a board member, about Japanese college students regarding their study abroad ideas
d) Takashi Mita, a board member, is to ask his friend Junko Ohashi at Okayama University and/or a friend at Okayama University of Science, regarding securing student attendance to the assembly

3) Discussed making methods of collecting Chapter membership dues for 2019-2020 an agenda topic at the general assembly. If approved, we will collect the dues at the meeting.

4) Other topics include:

a) Agreed to continue discussing a possibility of combining Kansai Chapter with Nagoya Chapter to increase membership and to rejuvenate our activities in the western Japan region. We will make this an agenda topic for the next general assembly.
b) Observer Paul Close volunteered to be an English editor for the newsletter. However, it was declined since no newsletter had been published at this moment, In addition, an opinion was given that using SNS media such as Facebook may be more appropriate these days and that we can post articles in English in them.

5) Report by Fumiteru Nitta on the 2018 EWC/EWCA International Conference in Seoul in August:

It was presented by PowerPoint with photos. The report included events such as pre-conference seminar for chapter leaders on the 22nd which Nitta attended as a new chapter leader and Aloha Dinner/Alumni Talent Show.

In addition, we had a post-meeting dinner out at a nearby shabushabu restaurant. Those who participated in the meeting joined the dinner. One guest also met us at the restaurant and joined the dinner.

Contact the Kansai Chapter

KARACHI CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Mr. Aamir Latif
Report submitted by Ghazala Fasih

The East West Center Alumni Association Karachi Chapter held its annual general meeting on 13 October 2018 at the Karachi Press Club with president Mr. Kamal Siddiqi in the chair. The main agenda of the meeting was to elect the new office bearers and members of the governing board.

According to the voting results, the following office bearers and governing members were elected.

President: Mr. Aamir Latif
Vice President cum Treasurer: Mr. Naeem Sahoutara
General Secretary: Ms. Ghazala Fasih

Members of the Governing Board are as follows: Mr. Kamal Siddiqi, Mr. Aziz Husain, Mr. Mushtaq Sirki, and Mr. Ather Khan.

The new cabinet plans to enhance the role of Karachi Chapter and hopes for support. Following are our plans for improving communications. A Whatsapp group of Alumni will be formed shortly.

Contact the Karachi Chapter

KATHMANDU CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Nirendra Maske

On Sunday, 11 November 2018, the EWCPA held a concert on the lawn at Hale Halawai. It was a celebration of culture and community. The event featured performances by EWC participants sharing their cultures from around the whole globe. Refreshments were served throughout the program.

The EWCA-Nepal Chapter, Kathmandu, organized its annual EWC Gathering, cordially inviting alumni and spouses. They met at the Yala Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka, Patan on Saturday, 1 December 2018 from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. EWCA Nepal Chapter members welcomed and met with Dr. Jefferson Fox, director of the EWC Research Program. Past president, Dr. Shankar Prasad Sharma, briefed the group about “Federalism in Nepal” and Dr. Neeranjan Rajbhandar presented on “Agriculture and Food Security“. Our EWCA Nepal Chapter members also discussed and commented about their East-West Center experiences and the impact on their lives. High tea and refreshment were complimentary to the participants.

There were 23 participants in this memorable program. It was our great honor and privilege to welcome and interact with Director Dr. Jeff Fox. My heartfelt thanks to Kiran Raj Joshi ji, General Secretary, for his brilliant delivery and meticulous planning, and other colleagues for their interaction. On behalf of the Chapter, I wish to thank the distinguished speakers, Dr. Jeff Fox, Dr. Shankar Sharma, Dr. Neeranjan Rajbhandari, and Chapter alumni speakers taking part in the interaction and making a difference.
Contact the Kathmandu Chapter

KUALA LUMPUR CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Mohamad Khanif Yusop
Report submitted by: Siowck Lee Gan

The Kuala Lumpur Chapter did not have any activity or event during this quarter.
Contact the Kuala Lumpur Chapter

MUMBAI CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Sarosh Bana

In this quarter, our EWC Mumbai Chapter had an insightful visit to the 215-year-old Asiatic Society State Central Library, thanks to its President, Mr. Sharad Kale, who was the Municipal Commissioner of Mumbai and a Chapter member. It was an amazing experience for some of the Chapter members who participated in this walkabout, as Mr. Kale showed us around the underground vaults and crypts that are off-limits to the usual visitor and where the painstaking and elaborate task of digitising the Library’s 50,000 manuscripts and over 100,000 journals is being undertaken.

Among the rarities in this monumental building is the 14th century manuscript of Dante Alighieri’s La Divina Comedia, The Divine Comedy, which had in 1820 been gifted to the Society, then called the Literary Society of Bombay, by Mountstuart Elphinstone, the then Governor of Bombay Presidency. Legend has it that Benito Mussolini offered to pay £1 million for the manuscript, but the Society refused. Other rare manuscripts include Cavalca’s Speccio de Croce, Cicero’s Be Officis, Alessandro Manzoni’s I Promessi Sposi and Galileo’s Dialogo de due massimi sistemi tolemico e Copernicano.

The Asiatic Society of Mumbai was founded by Sir James Mackintosh, a distinguished lawyer, jurist and public figure in England who became the Recorder or the King’s Judge for Bombay. Known then as the Literary Society of Bombay, it met for the first time on Nov 26, 1804, aimed at “promoting useful knowledge, particularly such as its now immediately connected with India.” Its formally stated objective was the investigation and encouragement of Oriental Arts, Sciences and Literature. In 1830, it moved into the Town Hall Building, In 1873, the Geographical Society of Bombay, and in 1896, the Anthropological Society of Bombay, brought in their collections as well.

The Town Hall, which houses the Asiatic Society of Mumbai, is a heritage building, located deep in the city’s historic Fort area, shaped by colonial geography, architecture, and sculpture. Built on the Bombay Green, it has an axial orientation and a west-facing view. As one stands on the top steps of the main entrance stairway, the magnificent city vista spreads out in front.
Contact the Mumbai Chapter

NEW YORK CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Bill Armbruster

Nearly three dozen New York-area EWC alumni and friends across six decades of EWC history gathered for dinner on Friday, Nov. 30, at Jasmine in mid-town Manhattan. Our speakers were Simon Winchester, author of more than 30 books, including The Man Who Loved China, a biography of British scientist Joseph Needham, author of the multi-volume series “Science and Civilization in China,” as well as journalists Mary Childs of Barron’s and Alex Kaufman of Huffington Post. Mary and Alex participated in an EWC journalism visit to China last fall and reported on their experience.
Contact the New York Chapter

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
Chapter President: Barbara Bornet Stumph

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Northern California Chapter

OKINAWA CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Kiyoshi Nakachi

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Okinawa Chapter

SEOUL CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Won Nyon Kim
Report submitted by Eunyoung Cho

2018 was a special year for the Seoul Chapter. Once again, we are grateful for all the participants and supporters for The 2018 EWC/EWCA International Conference in Seoul.
A big Mahalo and a very Happy New Year!
Contact the Seoul Chapter

SINGAPORE CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Alice Seok-Hoon Seng

On October 16, 2018, Siva Gopal Thaiyalan, this year’s recipient of the EWCA 21st Century Outstanding Service Award, came back to Singapore to complete his data collection for his doctoral program. He is attached to the University of Wellington, NZ. Since he was not able to receive the award in person at the Seoul conference in August, the plaque and certificate were presented to him in person in Singapore. The event was supported by his young family and EWCA friends.

On December 23, 2018, the chapter had an end of the year fellowship meeting at the Metro YMCA. A few members could not turn up because of the Christmas holidays, and most were away on vacation. We had a very good time. The highlight of the fellowship lunch was to welcome new APLP participant Chua Kim Loo Huang, who is finishing her program with the EWC in Honolulu soon. Kim shared with the chapter her wonderful experiences from the APLP program.

This year saw the publication of Ageing in Asia published by World Scientific Publishers. Two of the editors are EWCA Singapore chapter alumni, Dr. Phua Kai Hong, and Dr. Yap Mui Teng. The book will be launched soon. The chapter is very proud of this academic publication as it touched on a very important current theme. There are quite a few senior alumni in our chapter.
Contact the Singapore Chapter

 

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CHAPTER
Chapter President: Claire Langham

The highlight of 2018 is in the photo.

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We are thankful for good news after Gary Larsen’s recent surgery. Gary and Bach Mai have graciously volunteered to host us next Spring in May or June 2019. From all of us in our EWCA Southern California Chapter, we’re sending Gary a new book in his favorite genre – a historical novel based on a real person. The San Diego author will autograph it with a note to Gary. We could invite the author to speak at a future gathering on this EWC related topic.

Contact the Southern California Chapter

 

TAIPEI CHAPTER
President: Gary Lin

The EWC Taipei Chapter held its biannual re-election of the board members and supervisors on Sept 14, 2018, to elect 16 board members and 5 supervisors for a term of two years in Taipei. Subsequently, during the first board meeting on Sept 28, Gary Shun Ho Lin was elected by the board to be the Chairman of EWC Taiwan Chapter. The new Chairman, Gary Lin, thanked Frank Hung for his leadership during the past two years and pledged to continue to support both the EWC and Taiwan government to promote the cooperation between the two, and among other countries’ EWC Alumni Chapters.

Gary Lin, the newly elected chairman, has also organized the board into Finance, headed by Mr. Harry Chuang, External Communication by Ms. Ko Shuling, Internal Communication by Prof. Chen-ching Li, IT & Chapter Activities by Ms. Shih Austina, and Public Affairs by artist Robert Chen.

The first Public Affair activity was a visit to the internationally renowned Cloud Gate Dancing Troupe in Tanshui to explore the possibility of cosponsoring a Cloud Gate performance at the EWC 60th anniversary in 2020. Thanks to Mrs. Richard Vuylsteke’s personal help, and the assistance of Gary Lin, Harry Chuang, and Artist Chen, the group has made the first initial contact.
Contact the Taipei Chapter

TOKYO CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Yasuo Hoshino

No activity to be reported in this period.
Contact the Tokyo Chapter

ULAANBAATAR CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Amaraa Batchuluun

No activities to report during this period.
Contact the Ulaanbaatar Chapter

VIENTIANE CHAPTER
Chapter Leader: Chanthavong Saignasith

Just a short report on the Rainbow Shower Tree project in Laos. After successful planting of the multicolored rainbow shower trees from Hawaii in a public park in Vientiane, the capital of Laos, the project was extended to Luangprabang province two years ago. As expected, after planting, these trees produced their beautiful multicolored flowers, just as they do in Vientiane. Now, in our local language, the Laotians call the rainbow shower trees the Hawaii Dock Koon.

Contact the Vientiane Chapter