Category: News Update

Welcome to the Chinese American Women in History Conference

Welcome to the Chinese American Women in History Conference

CAWH Conference flyer

UCA is honoured to co-sponsor the Chinese American Women in History (CAWH) Conference, coming soon to Washington, D.C.

The 1882 Foundation and the Chinese American Museum DC present a conference on CAWH, exploring a century of experiences framed by the enactment of the 1875 Page Act, that targeted Chinese women for exclusion from the US, and the 1965 Hart-Celler Act, landmark immigration reform that finally enabled migration of Chinese spouses and families.

The conference will be held in Washington, DC, October 24-26, 2019 at three convenient locations in a 2-block radius: the Chinese American Museum, the historic Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, and University of California Washington Center. The conference will include scholarly panels, community storytelling, and film screenings that feature the pioneering work of Chinese American women filmmakers.

The conference is open to anyone interested in the topic whether as professional scholars or for personal curiosity. For more information and registration for all programs ($50 per person), click the registration link here:

RSVP
For more information, please visit – http://1882foundation.org

Science and Technology Caught between the United States and China Conference

By: Steven Pei

Science and Technology Caught between the United States and China Conference

The Committee of 100 (C100) convened nearly 300 leading policy makers, legal experts, educators, business leaders, scientists, and community leaders in Palo Alto, Ca. on September 28, 2019 to address the human impacts of geopolitics. In addition to sixteen community partners, including Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) and United Chinese Americans (UCA), the conference was also co-sponsored by thirteen professional organizations, including the Society of Chinese Bioscientists in America (SCBA), the Chinese American Hematologist and Oncologist Network (CAHON), and the Chinese Biological Investigators Society (CBIS), who issued the first open letter in the Science Magazine and drew a response from the leadership of National Institute of Health (NIH) on March 22, 2019.

After the opening welcome by Roger Wang, Chair of C100, Ambassador Gary Locke set the tone of the conference: “The U.S. – China relationship is the world’s most consequential bi-lateral relationship. We must be concerned about security concerns and condemn illegal activity, but in recent years there have been many cases of wrongful prosecution. Our pride in our heritage does not mean we are any less loyal or patriotic to America.” He was followed by Professor Susan Shirk, Chair, 21st Century China Center at the School of Global Policy & Strategy, University of California, San Diego, and former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State. She gave the opening keynote: “China and the U.S. wove together a dense fabric of trade, technology, and education – forming a nexus of what became globalization.” “To preserve America’s open society and vibrant research environment, we should double down on American openness, not put limitations on scientific collaboration.” 

Dr. David Ho, Scientific Director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, Dr. Thomas Rosenbaum, President of California Institute of Technology, Dr. John Hennessy, Chairman of Alphabet Inc. and moderator Nelson Dong of C100 at the keynote panel.

Dong pointed out that “76% of 1,466 patents issued in 2011 to top 10 U.S. research universities had at least one foreign born inventor.” He also presented data showing the high percentages of American Nobel laureates and prize winners, science and engineering workers and student who were foreign-born. 

Dr. Ho argued, worried that NIH’s crackdown had already gone too far. Ho argued that the known cases are “largely due to sloppiness and a degree of greed” by a few scientists. “A small number of ‘bad apples’ does not connote a systemic problem that requires federal intervention when it could be addressed at the institutional level with policies already in place.”

President Rosenbaum, “The strength of the United States as a scientific, technological and economic power has depended crucially on immigration. Recent demonstrated examples of violations of scientific ethics, coupled with fears for U.S. economic competitiveness and national security, may well lead to governmental restrictions that broadly and severely restrict the flow of people and ideas.”

Chairman Hennessy pointed out that “Immigrants come to this country to make America a better country. There are a number of important American companies with foreign born founders. If you cut that off, you cut off an important part of our nation’s economic vitality.”

Dr. Steven Chu, Nobel Laureate and Former Secretary of Energy, and Congresswoman Judy Chu gave the plenary speeches at lunch. Robert Gee of C100 and Former Assistant Secretary of Energy gave a policy briefing in the afternoon. 

David Stilwell, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs joined by live video conference from the United Nation. 

Congressman Adam Schiff, chair of House Intelligence Committee, also delivered a pre-recorded speech.

It was followed by the “Business and Technology Panel” on the impact on business and the technology industry with Ambassador Craig Allen, President of U.S.-China Business Council and Carl Guardino, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Board.  The panel was moderated Jerry Yang of C100 and co-founder of Yahoo! Inc.

John Hemann, Chief of the Special Prosecutions Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California and Peter Zeidenberg, former Federal Prosecutor, Department of Justice at the “Law and Justice Panel” on legal perspectives and impact moderated by Brian Sun of C100.

Brian Sun opened the panel with a discussion of Chinese Americans contributions and several U.S. Government initiatives and investigations of espionage cases and false accusations. As a lawyer with Jones Day in Los Angeles, California, he warned the audience that participating in the Thousand Talents Program “puts a target on your back. So don’t be stupid.”  

Zeidenberg talked about the cases of Xiaoxing Xi and Sherry Chen that he represented. It set the stage for “A Personal Perspective” by Professor Xiaoxing Xi. Even though he has shared what he and his family went through many times already, it brought Xi to tears again. Then Conference Chair Charlie Woo of C100 annnounced the good news that the American Physics Society just named Xi the 2020 recipient of Andrei Sakharov Prize “for his steadfast advocacy in support of the U.S. scientific community and open scientific exchange.” 

Woo also gave the closing remarks, “It is our hope to come together and find balanced solutions that protect national security, uphold the civil liberties of all Americans, and continue to foster the welcoming environment for the development of science, technology and research that America has always been known for.”

UCA Co-Sponsored 2019 National Civic Leadership Forum

UCA Co-Sponsored 2019 National Civic Leadership Forum

Civic Engagement and Empowerment in 2020 Census and 2020 Election Season are key areas of campaign for UCA

UCA members attending the NCLF 2019

Washington, DC – UCA has successfully hosted and supported its members to participate in the 2019 National Civic Leadership Forum (NCLF) held Sep 15-18th, in Washington, DC. The conference was attended by about 200 Asian Pacific Islander American (AAPI) community leaders representing 100 civic organizations across the country. The conference was led by Asian Apacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA) and Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA), with UCA being one of the major co-sponsoring AAPI organizations, including, Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), New American Leaders (NAL), 80-20 United, Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS), National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA), Federal Asian Pacific American Council (FAPAC). The theme of the conference is “Empower AAPI for 2020”, with an aim to increase civic engagement in the AAPI community, build a broad coalition among many different AAPI organizations, and prepare for the 2020 elections and decennial census.

AAPI population is about 24.2 million in 2018 according to the Census Bureau, a 27% increase since 2010 Census, though this could be a significant underestimate because of undercount of the population. Many AAPIs are successful business owners, lawyers, doctors, and professionals, who are among the major contributing force to American economy and society. Yet AAPIs are also highly diverse and segmented with more than 21 major ethnic groups, over 30 languages spoken, and predominantly immigrants. These communities have experienced lowest voter turnout and census participation in the past two decades.

NCLF attendees and organization leaders
MCLF meeting session

Facing the challenges in 2020 census and historical 2020 election season coming up, AAPI civic leaders recognized the importance of gathering in Washington DC, discussing pressing issues and urgent threats to the communities that were exacerbated by the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment and hate crimes in recent years. More than 100 AAPI civic organizations representing twelve (12) ethnic groups were represented at the NCLF, including Bangladeshi, Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders, Indian, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Pakistani, Thai and Vietnamese.

AAPI Congressional members, including Rep. Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, former Rep. David Wu, attended the conference and encouraged participants to be leaders and champions of the AAPI community. Secretary Elaine Chao (Department of Transportation), and members of the Asian American Caucus in US Congress also sent their representatives and encouraging remarks to the meeting attendees. Other Congressional members and speakers of the meeting included, Tom McClintock, Brendan Boyle, Lloyd Dogget, Bobby Scott, Kurt Schrader, Earl Blumenauer and Sheila Jackson Lee. 

During the Congressional Visit session of the conference, AAPI leaders visited more than 70 US House and Senate representatives, and communicated the most urgent issues concerning the AAPI communities, including, 1. cumbersome and outdated immigration procedures that created crowded and lengthy backlogs with inhumane treatment of immigrants and families; 2. lack of funding and support in 2020 census especially for the AAPI community; 3. threats to civil rights under the scrutiny of national security caused by increased tension of international relations in the current administration. UCA has organized a similar Congressional Visit in its 2018 annual convention in Washington DC, advocating for civil rights protection for the Chinese community.

AAPI civic organizations including Asian Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Asian American Advancing Justice (AAJC), and others, along with AAPI elected officials and organization leaders, reviewed key statistics of the AAPI community and shared the best practices of voter engagement, leadership development, and how to run social-political campaigns. Full details of the conference can be found at the meeting website of https://whova.com/web/nclf_201909/.

The conference culminated in a press conference, Congressional Reception, and ceremony on Sep 17th, when 90 community leaders attended co-signed a joint statement by participating organizations. The joint statement highlighted the contribution of the AAPIs in their professional fields and economic impact. At the same time, it called AAPI communities to increase efforts in civic engagement and empowerment,  to participate in volunteerism, philanthropy, public policy advocacy, census and election, and other areas of social-political activism.

UCA board members played key roles in organizing and supporting the meeting, including Joy Guo, organizing Committee member, Chaoyu Xie, Campaign 101 session chair, Mary Liu, Keynote Speech session chair, Helen Shih, Congressional Visit session chair, and Xie Jan, official photographer. UCA president Haipei Xue, and Chairman of the board, Xiaoyan Zhang, were among the guest speakers at the conference. Vincent Wang (NCLF program chair) and Qiu Hong are Ohio APAPA members and UCA community partnership representatives who are the key organizers and supporters of the conference. Other UCA board members and community partnership leaders representing UCA included Zhida Song-James, Paul Li from Maryland, Lily Chen from Illinois, Hardy Li and Qi Hong Wagner from Washington state, and Zhaobang Zeng from North Carolina.

Congressional visit

Columbia University Joins UCA’s Call to Speak Up

2 Comments

Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia University, published an opinion piece on Washington Post, titled “No, I won’t start spying on my foreign-born students“, in response to heightened pressure on academic research, joining a growing list of other institutions making similar statements. The content is reposted here.

The FBI has stepped up its scrutiny of research practices at college and university campuses — including mine.

Law enforcement and intelligence agencies determined to thwart the illegal transfer of intellectual property to foreign rivals are encouraging U.S. academics and administrators to develop more robust protocols for monitoring foreign-born students and visiting scholars — particularly if they are ethnically Chinese.

With students returning to campus, these policing attempts thrust economic and political concerns into fierce conflict with First Amendment freedoms.

To be sure, government-funded academic research in such national security realms as cybersecurity and bioterrorism is justifiably sensitive. Likewise, academic research conducted in collaboration with U.S. companies — a principal target of most unlawful technology transfers — leads to commercial innovations that warrant protections. Universities have an obligation to comply with existing security protocols, identify sensible ways to bolster them, and cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities and corporate research partners if clear acts of espionage are suspected. To the extent we are falling short in any of these areas — and yes, there have been isolated incidents of academics sharing sensitive intellectual property with foreign governments — we can and must do better.

At the same time, however, only a fraction of the research conducted on campus is “secret.” Indeed, the reality is just the opposite. Academic research is intended to be shared — released into the public domain to advance human progress. Groundbreaking medical discoveries, agricultural innovations credited with saving billions of people worldwide from starvation, the Internet, artificial intelligence: All are the result of publicly available, university-based research.

Consequently, a foreign national need not fly halfway around the world to “infiltrate” our great universities and learn about our latest insights and findings: With some notable exceptions,she can type words into a search engine and peruse peer-reviewed academic journals from the comfort of an office or dorm room overseas. Or, similarly, she can visit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s website, where applications for patent protection provide detailed descriptions of recent innovations.

And so, most worrisome to me, as someone who has spent five decades advocating freedom of expression and assembly, is the notion that university personnel — and perhaps students themselves — should be asked to monitor the movements of foreign-born students and colleagues. This is antithetical to who we are.

The mission of a university is to foster an open atmosphere conducive to speculation, experimentation and creation. American higher education is the envy of the world not in spite of, but because of, its unrivaled commitment to openness and diversity. Attracting — and welcoming — the brightest minds in the world, regardless of nationality or country of origin, is what we’re all about.

To put it another way, the U.S. university model is a strategic advantage, not a hindrance to American competitiveness. Our administrators, professors and research scholars are not, and should not become, an arm of U.S. law enforcement. Ironically, what the FBI apparently considers our great vulnerability is, in my view, our greatest strength.

At Columbia University, where I am president, thousands of students and faculty represent more than 150 countries. We stewards of major research universities couldn’t contain intellectual freedom even if we wanted to. The incompatibility of university culture with systematic scrutiny may explain why even law enforcement officials who have visited our campus have offered little prescriptive guidance, instead offering that we should be vigilant.

The unauthorized use of intellectual property by overseas competitors is a serious problem. But the surveillance of foreign-born scholars in this country is the wrong solution. If law enforcement agencies have legitimate concerns, it seems to me that they should identify and monitor those they designate as “suspicious people” based on real threats, not broad worries about entire nationalities.

A more effective approach — advocated by many of my colleagues in higher education as well as the bipartisan Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property — is to expand the number of green cards awarded to foreign-born graduates of our great colleges and universities. Many of these international scholars, especially in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, would, if permitted, prefer to remain in the United States and work for U.S.-based companies after graduation, where they could also contribute to the United States’ economic growth and prosperity. But under the present rules, when their academic studies are completed, we make it difficult for them to stay. They return to their countries with the extraordinary knowledge they acquired here, which can inform future commercial strategies deployed against U.S. competitors.

The mandate of our colleges and universities is to pursue open, robust inquiry across a wide range of topics. Our institutions of higher learning should do more — not less — of what made the United States the most innovative nation in the history of the world.

Related Posts:

UW-Madison is the Latest to Join UCA’s Call to Speak Up，Amid Worsening US-China Relations

Repost from UW-Madison OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR website: UW’S RELATIONSHIP WITH CHINA.

The U.S. and China need each other. We need each other as trading partners; we need each other as major world leaders. And our universities need each other.

As we count down the final days of summer and get ready for another academic year, let me tell you about my most interesting trip of the summer.

In late May, I had the honor of leading a delegation to China. While not my first trip to that country, it was my first trip as UW chancellor.

Why visit at a time when the geopolitical relationship between the countries is strained? Quite simply, UW and China need each other more than ever and can learn much from one another.

On the May trip, multiple groups from campus, including the International Division, the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, International Student Services and several of our schools and colleges, participated in various aspects of the trip to help make it a success.

It was a busy itinerary, including meeting with our alumni, welcoming incoming Chinese students and their families to UW, attending conferences organized by UW faculty at Chinese universities, meeting with higher education leaders, and conducting industry-partnership conversations.

By way of background, you might know that UW’s history with China goes back more than 100 years. A century ago, we were the top public university (and 4th largest overall) recipient of Chinese students enrolling in American universities through the “Boxer Indemnity” scholarship fund, the main route at that time for Chinese students to attend college in the U.S.

Forty years ago, then-Chancellor Irving Shain was the among first American university presidents to visit China after it re-opened to the outside.

Today, we have 3,200 students from mainland China studying at UW. They comprise the largest group of international students at UW. Between 2000 and 2018, their share increased from 25% of all international students to 55%.

We welcome these students and scholars to Madison and do everything we can to support them and help them to be successful. Their presence on campus enriches the residential experience of all of our students.

Big, public research institutions like UW that educate thousands of students and conduct groundbreaking research have to have a global reach if we’re going to carry out our mission. Unlike in past decades, this relationship has become increasingly bilateral. Our scientists are collaborating with Chinese scientists. While there are still far more Chinese students coming to UW, increasing numbers of our U.S. students are interested in going to China. Our faculty are organizing international conferences in China with colleagues from that country – and vice versa. During my recent visit, a conference on higher education organized by a UW faculty member in collaboration with Peking University allowed me to address colleagues in China. All of these connections create new opportunities for all involved.

We need to be smart and respectful in all of our international collaborations. Full transparency and disclosure will benefit all partners and everyone involved in collaborative research projects.

The strategic partnership agreement that we signed with Nanjing University is particularly significant. We have a long-shared history of cooperation with Nanjing – this is the campus that made the most significant impression on Chancellor Shain in 1979.

In signing our most recent agreement, UW-Madison and Nanjing are seeking linkages across disciplines that can have a lasting and positive global impact. This lays the foundation for an expanded relationship featuring many more years of research collaboration and student exchange.

We also are collaborators in nine active research partnerships with Chinese universities, including a project that brings our wildlife biologists together with ones at Peking University to understand the impact of development on the Asiatic Black Bear population.

Our faculty talk about the two-way nature of their work with Chinese counterparts. As Chinese universities expand in size and quality, and as top scholars work in China, we now meet as full partners and potential collaborators with much to gain on both sides.

Collaborations can create the potential for economic development, with six current industry projects located in China, including a $2.5 million project with Nestle to develop and run a dairy farming institute.

There is growing concern about security issues with China, particularly around intellectual property. We need to be smart and respectful in all of our international collaborations. Full transparency and disclosure will benefit all partners and everyone involved in collaborative research projects.

But I am proud of the number of scholars at UW – both US citizens and citizens of other countries – who have ties to China, and I support the work that they do.

The U.S. and China need each other. We need each other as trading partners; we need each other as major world leaders. And our universities need each other. We can learn more working together than working in silos.

As long as we both share a commitment to open inquiry, outstanding education, and sharing knowledge and discoveries in a way that improves people’s lives, we can work together.

Graduation Ceremony – UCA-IL/CLUSA Civic Engagement Summer Internship

UCA is excited to share some updates on the new youth program from UCA Illinois: Civic Engagement Summer Internship. The program’s mission is: Train, Connect, Collaborate, Empower and United civic leaders and local organizations in USA.

The program provides students internship opportunities in elected officials’ offices or government agencies, whether at the local, city, county, state, or federal levels, and selected nonprofits to inspire students’ interest in government and public policy, to build a pipeline of Asian Americans in public office, and to build strong coalitions with participating agencies, offices, and organizations. The program is made possible with a grant from Civic Leadership USA (CLUSA) .

We want to express our heartfelt thanks to the following offices participated in the program and hosted our interns:

  • Illinois State Representative Theresa Mah’ office
  • Chicago 12th Ward Alderman George Cardenas’s Office
  • Illinois Department of Human Services
  • Illinois Department of Corrections
  • Illinois Department of Children and Family Services
  • Illinois Human Rights Commission
  • Illinois Business Immigration Coalition
  • City of Aurora

Now we’d like to invite you to join the graduation ceremony with representatives of these government offices, our interns/students, their mentors and families, future interns and community members on Friday July 26, at 4-6 pm in Chicago.

Please see details about the event on the flyer below. You will hear our honoured officials and speakers from these offices and our interns sharing their inspiring stories and experiences.

Civic engagement has been a key mission for UCA as an organization. Over the last three years, we have done a lot to increase the engagement of Chinese Americans in their communities and civic processes. To more effectively carry out that mission, we also need to get the next generation involved. We would like to help the youth to become more aware of the social and political environments. Having the chance to participate in the processes and understand how governments work is a great way to achieve that. Our interns in Representative Mah and Alderman’s Cardenas offices shared that each citizen’s voice does count and these offices’ daily work is related to every citizen’s daily lives.

Some of our interns also find governments can be a great place to apply the academic knowledge and professional skills that they have acquired at colleges, learn about social justice, and simply grow and network as young adults. For example, the intern at City of Aurora was assigned to work on regulations of commercial signs. It’s a good fit for his Urban Planning major in college. Another student in Biology found relevant work during his internship at Department of Human Services in fighting abuse of controlled substances. Our high school interns learned a great deal at Human Rights Commission about social justice. The parent of one of the two students interning at Department of Corrections shared with me that the internship is the best time he has this summer, and proudly included the experiences on his LinkedIn profile.

The internship was coordinated by Ren Li, VP of UCA IL who works with Jean Ma, Coordinator for Civic Engagement. They also participated in National CLUSA internship training with four of our interns late June. They got the great opportunity to gain insights into how we get more involved in the civic processes around the country, and developed their networks of Chinese American youth communities.

To help interns adapt to the work environment and develop themselves, we had two group trainings and each was assigned with a mentor. The mentors are mostly community leaders with deep experience in government, civic services, or their respective professions. These mentors are Ms. Marjorie Moore of DCFS, Representative Theresa Mah, Ms. Nancy Chen, Ms. Winnie Chan, Ms. Hongbo Wang, Ms. Jing Kong, Mr. Haibo Guo, Ms. Jan Zheng, and Mr. Yaoming Pei.

If you have any questions about the program, you may contact Ms. Ren Li, the program’s coordinator, at illinois.youth@ucausa.org or by phone: 773-242-3278. We are looking forward to seeing many of you at the July 26 event! We will start to take names for the application for 2020 summer internship at the event.

Carnegie-Mellon is the latest to answer to UCA’s Call to Speak Up, joining U-Pitt, John Hopkins, UC San Diego, U-Chicago and more…

Carnegie-Mellon is the latest to answer to UCA’s Call to Speak Up, joining U-Pitt, John Hopkins, and more...

Further development since last update. (Click for details). Carnegie-Mellon University, joining U-Pitt, John Hopkins, UChicago, UC San Diego, and Caltech, issued statement to CMU community supporting Chinese and other international scholars and students. More institutions previously issued similar statements since February, 2019. Read the original call-to–speak-up (click here).

08/15/2019

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community,

I write to you today about the vital importance of America’s research universities to our economic prosperity and national security, and the need to recommit to what has made us so successful. As public concerns and political debates emerge about global engagement in higher education, we must ensure that our research ecosystem remains strong. This requires steadfast commitment to both the free flow of ideas and the safeguarding of our work as required by the national interest.

In this time of intense rhetoric and in the wake of recent incomprehensible tragedies, it is important to remember that the United States is a nation of immigrants. People the world over flowed into this land, continually tempering and galvanizing us with new ideas and spurring the relentless renewal that has defined our global leadership. Here in Pittsburgh, generations of immigrants forged futures for themselves and their families — and the nation — in the factories lining the three rivers. Andrew Carnegie, an immigrant from Scotland, founded the Carnegie Technical Schools to educate the sons and daughters of those factory workers.

With this in our DNA, Carnegie Mellon has been an international university since our inception more than a century ago. And as our institution has grown and transformed, we have always been at the cutting edge of countless fields, such as artificial intelligence, performing arts, engineering, computational finance and behavioral economics, precisely because we have kept our doors open to the best and brightest from around the country and around the world. This is who we are and who we always will be. As an immigrant myself, I value this fundamental principle on a very personal level.

In the context of this great, open, immigrant nation, we also must recognize that foreign influence in the form of intellectual property theft, cyber attacks, espionage and other broad-scale, state-sponsored efforts are direct threats to our nation’s security and economic prosperity. Carnegie Mellon takes these threats seriously. At the same time, the negative tone of the public discourse on international issues and unjust scapegoating of segments of our community are causing mounting anxiety and unease on campuses across the country. Our campus, especially our international community, is not immune from this anxiety and we must take this just as seriously.

To break through the heat of this debate — one that is tinged with controversy and concern involving both immigration policies and U.S.-China relations — we must ask a fundamental question: how can we preserve and enhance the diverse research, education and innovation ecosystem that has fueled our nation’s broad prosperity since World War II? In other words, can we be both open and secure? I believe we can.

First, we must be — and are — ever-vigilant to protect our work and safeguard the national interest by following best practices, applicable laws and policies that shield us from foreign interference and exploits. We will continue to work directly with national policymakers and our colleagues at the Association of American Universities (AAU) to preserve the integrity of university-based research. Mary Sue Coleman, president of the AAU, and Peter McPherson, president of the Association of Public Land-grant Universities, recently penned a joint op-ed about academic institutions preserving open collaboration while maintaining vigilance with respect to national security. Carnegie Mellon is proud to be part of a network of universities committed to both.

Second, we must double down on what we do best: leading the world in innovation, creativity and finding solutions to society’s most pressing challenges. America’s research and innovation ecosystem is the envy of the world, and it is powered by higher education, serving as an extraordinary engine of social mobility and catalyzing our nation’s economic prosperity. Our research enterprise has been successful because we have always competed globally not in the hope that others will lose, but in the belief that when we win, the world wins. That’s why we must not retreat from global engagement. We must not change how we do research. We must not cripple the engine that has delivered amazing benefits for society. In this most disruptive age, our nation must invest and out-innovate.

Finally, as a nation we must prioritize immigration policies that are central to continuing our global work and deepening our commitment to national security. This ranges from the need for swift and accurate resolution of visa and other immigration determinations for those seeking to join our university communities, to a final action by Congress on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. As we have before, we encourage our nation’s leaders to finally provide a solution for DACA students who came to the United States as children, were raised here and have always called America their home.

Today, CMU’s researchers and scholars are undertaking bold projects to solve real-world problems. Our discoveries in areas like robotics and cybersecurity enhance our nation’s economic prosperity and safety. We have been successful on those fronts only because of the dedication and contributions of all of our scholars and students, many of whom come from all over the world.

So, to the members of our international campus community, without hesitation and with heartfelt affirmation, let me say: We value you. We support you. We will always welcome you. This is a campus that is unafraid of inclusivity. We are compelled and defined by it. And that will never change.

Earlier this year, I charged CMU’s Committee on International Engagements with developing principles and processes to guide our efforts in the way we engage international partners. This work is happening in earnest — work that will result in our sustained ability to advance knowledge and develop talent through our research and educational missions. The committee will share its recommendations with the university community this fall.

As we embark upon a new academic year full of promise and opportunity, let us reaffirm our belief in the power of education to transcend social and economic divides. Let us take pride in knowing how much our work matters. And let us continue embracing the diversity that has always made, and continues to make, it all possible.

Warm regards,
Farnam Jahanian
President
Henry L. Hillman President’s Chair
Carnegie Mellon University

07/22/2019

Dear Fellow Pitt Community Members:

Our very mission—to leverage knowledge for society’s gain—demands a global perspective. We seek to tackle the world’s greatest challenges. We welcome the most talented faculty, students, staff and visitors from near and far. And we collaborate with the most distinguished scholars, universities and research institutions from around the world.

These international pursuits and collaborations are the oxygen for the University of Pittsburgh’s vibrant and rich academic environment. Some of our most celebrated members—scholars and discoverers like Yuan Chang, Adolf Grünbaum, Cho-yun Hsu, Maud Menten, Carmelo Mesa-Lago, Wangari Maathai and Vladimir Zworykin—chose to join our University community and have written significant chapters in Pitt’s remarkable history of accomplishments and achievements. Today, as our celebrations for the Year of Pitt Global conclude, I am confident that some of the brightest storylines in Pitt’s future will be authored by faculty, students and staff who have also joined our University from afar.

Yet, this long-standing tradition of global academic engagement is increasingly under attack. Rising geopolitical tensions over economic competitiveness, trade and national security have begun to erode support for the robust global academic engagement that we have long enjoyed—and which is crucial for Pitt’s continued success.

National and economic security are based, to a large extent, on access to the latest knowledge and technology. This linkage places research-intensive universities like Pitt at the front lines of these issues. As a result—and for the first time since the end of the Cold War—university-based research and scholarship are facing calls to restrict global engagement. A rising tide of fear is fueling uncertainty, confusion and rapidly changing responses by our federal agencies, and the effects of government policies on research universities have been especially striking.

Collaborations between scientists across national boundaries have been subject to unprecedented scrutiny. Established practices have been prohibited on technicalities. And researchers, particularly immigrants and visitors from China, have been the target of aggressive investigations and public sanctions.

At Pitt, our mission demands better—and so does our University community.

As a public institution, we will continue to uphold all laws governing research, innovation and international partnerships while fostering a vibrant and globally engaged university. As a world leader in research and learning, we must both excel at our mission and protect public interests—despite the difficult climate and challenges involved.

This work requires us to remain engaged with Congress, federal agencies and national university associations to advocate for sensible and clear government actions that address real threats without causing irreparable harm to our nation’s research universities, which are still admired around the world.

It also requires us to issue new guidance as needed. As a result, I urge everyone to pay close attention to new information, since this is one of the best tools we have for helping our community members navigate the current, rapidly shifting legal and regulatory environment.

And, when new guidance does arrive, we promise to assist any affected University community member and to do so without fear, prejudice or invidious distinctions based on an individual’s nationality, ethnicity, race or country of origin.

For the international members of our academic community, I will state the obvious: You belong here. We welcomed you to our campus in good faith and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, and we want you to have a productive and positive Pitt experience. We will continue to do our part to help you feel at home here—no matter where else you have called home.

I invite our extended University community to join me in this effort, and—as always—I look forward to seeing what we can accomplish together.

Sincerely,

Patrick Gallagher

07/11/2019

To: The Caltech Community
From: Thomas F. Rosenbaum, President and David A. Tirrell, Provost
Date: July 11, 2019
Re: Our International Community of Scholars

The strength of the United States as a scientific, technological, and economic power has depended crucially on the contributions of scholars and entrepreneurs from all over the world. Our universities, in particular, have long opened their doors to foreign talent, seeking to become destinations for the most creative, original minds, irrespective of heritage or national origin. At Caltech, 45% of our faculty were born outside the United States, and roughly the same percentage of our graduate student body is international. Approximately 35% of American Nobel Prizes in the sciences have been awarded to individuals born outside the United States.

Recent news stories and communications from government agencies have raised concerns about threats to U.S. national security and economic competitiveness, concurrent with rising tensions in international trade and the growing technical capability of international corporations. In such a climate, it can be tempting to try to protect our national interests by putting boxes around our researchers and our laboratories, to attempt to constrain the transfer of scientific discoveries and technological innovation. But the academic enterprise is utterly ineffective in that mode; it depends on talent and interaction and the challenge of ideas, all of which may arise anywhere in the world. Our universities thrive by bringing together people of diverse perspectives, of different backgrounds, of distinct sensibilities, and letting them hone their conceptions of the world by confronting and shaping each other’s ideas.

It is essential that we maintain the open, vibrant sense of community that is so central to successful scholarship and innovation. In particular, we must ensure that our international colleagues – students, postdoctoral scholars, staff, and visitors – continue to feel welcome here, and continue to enjoy the personal and professional support that they need to pursue their most ambitious goals. We have heard from some of these colleagues that they are feeling heightened stress, not because of actions taken by our community, but because of the broader public conversation and policies that are understandably unsettling. Under such circumstances, we must all make special efforts to reaffirm our embrace of scholars from all over the world, our commitment to open exchange, and our celebration of the richness of international collaboration.

07/09/2019

Dear Johns Hopkins Community:

Over the past several months, we have watched with growing concern the change in tenor of the national dialogue regarding the role of universities in supporting the open international exchange of ideas and people, while also preserving U.S. national security interests. Amid increased scrutiny by Congress and government agencies of research endeavors involving foreign-born faculty and students, recent media attention to potential national security threats posed by foreign governments’ access to intellectual property, and foreign nations warning students about studying in the United States, our international community of students and scholars at Johns Hopkins have expressed mounting anxiety and concern.

We write today to reaffirm our enduring commitment to our international students, researchers, and patients. The success of a research university like ours is predicated on the open, robust exchange of ideas; enhanced by our ability to welcome people with different academic and practical training, experiences, cultural backgrounds, and viewpoints; and improved by our capacity to nurture talent from around the world.

Johns Hopkins has a long and storied history of international collaboration in research, education, and patient care, from Dr. William Welch’s partnerships in medical education in China in the early 20th century to our academic and clinical commitment to fight AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. Today, our faculty are working in more than 110 countries, and we are expecting an entering class of undergraduates that boasts the highest percentage of international students in our history. They will be welcomed into an academic community that includes more than 7,000 international students, faculty, and researchers, who hail from more than 120 nations and share our commitment to discovery that makes a measurable impact on the quality of human life.

We are also an institution with a proven commitment to protecting our nation’s security and advancing its economic success. Consistent attention to best practices in disclosing, managing, and securing federally funded information and intellectual property protects the integrity of our research and its use beyond the borders of our institution.

We believe that that these twin commitments can and must be maintained, and that we must remain vigilant about the long-term consequences of sacrificing one to the other. When any members of our community unfairly bear the burden of government mistrust simply by virtue of their place of birth, country of residence, or ethnicity, we risk undermining the core tenets of our success as an institution and as a nation. The potential for such scrutiny to have a deadening effect on the free and unfettered pursuit of ideas and the important contributions of international scholars and researchers is distressing in the extreme. Our great societal challenges are not constrained by geographic boundaries, and our pursuit of solutions must therefore also transcend those borders.

As Johns Hopkins pursues innovation and discovery to benefit our nation and our world, we will advocate for sound policies that allow us to continue to be a place of open academic exchange. We remain steadfast in supporting our colleagues and students from abroad who have committed themselves to our shared pursuit of truth and service to humanity.

Sincerely,

Ronald J. Daniels
President
Johns Hopkins University

Sunil Kumar
Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs
Johns Hopkins University

Paul B. Rothman
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine

06/13/2019

ALL ACADEMICS, STAFF AND STUDENTS AT UC SAN DIEGO

 

SUBJECT:   Reaffirming Our Support for UC San Diego’s International Community

In recent months, increased media attention focusing on the diplomatic and economic tensions between the United States and foreign countries have led to greater scrutiny of academic exchanges. In turn, a feeling of unease has developed among many international students and scholars here at UC San Diego and at other universities across the country.

As one of the premier research institutions in the U.S., UC San Diego engages in cutting-edge, impactful research and pedagogy with our global partners. We are mindful of the reality of economic and technological espionage and the importance of confidential and proprietary information. UC San Diego takes great care in protecting our intellectual assets while encouraging global engagement.

At a time when national security issues lead news reports, it is critical that we remain welcoming to students, staff, faculty, visiting scholars, and other members of our community who come from other countries, or for whom those countries are an ancestral home.

UC San Diego is unequivocally committed to its international students and scholars. We value every member of our community and actively cultivate a diverse and inclusive campus that encourages respectful open dialogue per our longstanding Principles of Community.

More than 8,700 undergraduate, graduate and non-degree students from outside the United States, representing 111 countries, study at UC San Diego, and more than 1,500 international scholars conduct research and provide instruction. Within our faculty are more than 400 educators from around the world who create knowledge, teach and mentor students, and add immeasurable value to our collaborative intellectual community. The university also employs a number of individuals from around the world who serve in a wide variety of roles that sustain UC San Diego’s world-class reputation of local, national and global impact in service to others.

Together, these individuals make significant contributions to UC San Diego’s research and educational endeavors. By bringing the most talented and promising students and scholars to our university, and working closely with knowledge partners across the globe, we are better able to collaborate and find solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.

If you have concerns about aspects of research partnerships taking place at UC San Diego, we encourage you to contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research at vcresearch@ucsd.edu. For more information on UC San Diego’s international student population, contact the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at vcsa@ucsd.edu. For questions concerning faculty, contact the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at evc@ucsd.edu.

UC San Diego is a student-centered, research-focused, service-oriented public research university, open to people from all over the world. We are proud to support research and educational collaborations with both domestic and international scholars and partners. International exchanges are instrumental in opening and sustaining important dialogues that ultimately make our world a safer, more equitable place to live.

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor

06/10/2019

UCA Invited by Rep. Meng to Present House Resolution 165 at Unveiling Ceremony for Post Stamps Commemorating The 150th Anniversary of The Transcontinental Railroad’s Completion

UCA Invited by Rep. Meng to Present House Resolution 165 at

Unveiling Ceremony for Post Stamps Commemorating

The 150th Anniversary of The Transcontinental Railroad’s Completion

Today, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, joined by officials from the U.S. Postal Service and the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA), held an unveiling ceremony at MOCA, Chinatown, New York City, for new postage stamps commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad, and for the contributions that Chinese laborers made in building it. A set of three Transcontinental Railroad Forever Stamps were unveiled during the ceremony.

Between 1865 and 1869, approximately 12,000 Chinese laborers worked under extremely dangerous conditions to help construct the railroad. The Transcontinental Railroad has long been considered one of the most remarkable engineering feats of the 19th century.

Recognizing the work and contribution by United Chinese Americans (UCA) in campaigning for the Congressional resolutions for the anniversary, Congresswoman Meng, who has been a driving force over the years for USPS to issue such stamps, invited Haipei Shue, president of UCA, to the event to read out the commemorative House Resolution 165 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/165) that she introduced recently in US Congress.

http://video.sinovision.net/?id=50366&cid=1&from=singlemessage&isappinstalled=0#10006-weixin-1-52626-6b3bffd01fdde4900130bc5a2751b6d1&sts=1559191454832

One More Major University Speaks Up For Science Community

1 Comment

One More Major University Speaks Up For Science Community

At the urging of UMD Association of Chinese American Professors and Scholars and UCA members in Maryland, President Wallace Loh of University of Maryland at College Park has just issued a strong statement on American universities’ historic mission and the need to keep research and science, including international scholars and students associated with it, as a free, open and inclusive enterprise. The university further expressed its concern for the greater suspicion and scrutiny over Chinese American faculty members, while demanding greater compliance efforts by all stake holders on the campus.

May 30, 2019

Dear University of Maryland community,

Our campus and peer institutions are feeling the effects of growing tensions between the U.S. and China. Chinese, and Chinese-American faculty, students, visitors, and staff are feeling rising unease about their status and sense of belonging in America.

Open and free inquiry, and academic collaborations with universities from around the world are central to our institutional mission. This includes collaborations with institutions in China. The University of Maryland has established many academic exchanges and developed historical bonds of friendship with them. One of the symbols of the normalization of U.S.-China relations some forty years ago took place on our campus in Cole Fieldhouse, the so-called “ping-pong diplomacy” matches between the U.S. and China’s national teams. 

Since then, China has transformed itself into the second largest economy in the world. Amid rising geo-political, economic, and cultural tensions between our countries, there is U.S. concern about China’s multi-faceted efforts at influence-seeking. About a year ago, a senior Federal law enforcement official testified before Congress that persons of Chinese descent represent a “whole of society” threat to America. In academic, scientific, and governmental organizations, they are increasingly subject to generalized suspicion and greater scrutiny.

I write to reaffirm the University of Maryland’s commitment to international collaborations and support for all faculty, students, visiting scholars, and staff on our campus from all countries, including China. American research universities, a landmark of American civilization, have thrived because of our core values of openness, academic freedom, and inclusiveness. Our universities draw talent from all over the world. In the U.S., the majority of PhDs in STEM fields are awarded to international students, many of whom eventually become U.S. residents and citizens.

We must remain true to these core academic values. At the same time, as American institutions, we also need greater awareness and vigilance to confront undue foreign influence, which rises to the level of foreign interference. 

The Association of American Universities and the American Public and Land Grant Universities have identified practices of universities that can help ensure the security of research, protect against intellectual property theft and academic espionage, and prevent foreign infringement on values of free speech and scientific integrity. The American Council of Education has also compiled best practices. 

I have asked our Vice President for Research, Laurie Locascio, to form and lead a campus group to consider implementing these practices on our campus, as appropriate. They may include, for example, expanding campus awareness of foreign interference; enhancing the training of faculty, researchers, and graduate students on foreign export controls and reporting requirements; reviewing foreign gifts and grants; reviewing foreign conflicts of interest; strengthening data security, cybersecurity, and research security; and safeguarding information in foreign travels. 

I urge our campus to stay in touch with Laurie about any individual issues as they arise so that she and her staff can work with you to resolve them.

The U.S.-China bilateral relationship is of global and strategic importance. Today, it is increasingly fraught and competitive. The challenge of U.S. research universities, including the University of Maryland, is to safeguard our academic values and our nation’s legitimate interests. At stake are American leadership in education, research, and innovation in the 21st century and the resilience of our democracy. 

Sincerely,

Wallace D. Loh

President, University of Maryland

At this point, altogether 8 leading American universities have issued such public statement: University of California at Berkeley, Stanford University, Michigan University at Ann Arbor, University of California at Davis, Rice University, University of Delaware, Yale University and University of Maryland at College Park. At UCA, we hope you will help keep this momentum going by contacting leaders of your university asking them to issue similar statements.