Letter of Support for Asian American Studies Enhancement at Northwestern University

Letter of Support for Asian American Studies Enhancement at Northwestern University

We write as Members of the Board of Directors of the Association for Asian American Studies.
We support the students at Northwestern University in their pursuit of an enhanced Asian American
Studies curriculum and program, which includes offering a major in Asian American Studies.
Establishing a major would provide students with the opportunity to receive a degree that would enhance
their careers and make invaluable contributions to the university curriculum.

The Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS) was founded in 1979 for the purpose of advancing
the highest professional standard of excellence in teaching and research in the field of Asian American
Studies. The AAAS is also founded for the purpose of educating American society about the cultural,
economic, political, and social history of Asian Americans. The AAAS sponsors professional activities to
facilitate increased intellectual exchanges and scholarly collaboration among scholars, administrators,
researchers, teachers, students, and community leaders in the field of Asian American Studies.

As members of AAAS, we have extensive experience conducting research, publishing, and teaching in
the field of Asian American Studies. In our role as Board Members and as university professors, we have
witnessed first-hand the ways in which Asian American Studies has enhanced the educational experiences
and career aspirations of students across the country. Asian American Studies:

• creates new intellectual avenues for students to learn about and navigate increasingly diverse
educational and work environments
• allows students to develop critical analytic skills by presenting alternative perspectives on
citizenship, belonging, and representation
• signals to potential employers that students understand a broad range of experiences related to
immigration history as well as ethnic and racial relations
Not only do Asian American students benefit from exposure to Asian American Studies courses and
programs, but a robust Asian American Studies program gives all students, including those who are nonAsian American, the opportunity to learn more about race and society through an Asian American lens.

Sincerely,

Linda Trinh Vo (President)
Professor
Department of Asian American Studies
University of California, Irvine

Cathy Schlund-Vials (President-Elect)
Associate Professor
English and Asian/Asian American Studies
Director, Asian and Asian American Studies Institute
University of Connecticut, Storrs

Board Members:
Madeline Y. Hsu
Associate Professor, Department of History
Director, Center for Asian American Studies
The University of Texas at Austin
Daniel Y. Kim
Associate Professor
English and American Studies
Brown University
Daryl Maeda
Chair and Associate Professor
Department of Ethnic Studies
University of Colorado Boulder
erin Khue Ninh
Associate Professor
Department of Asian American Studies
University of California, Santa Barbara
Leilani Nishime
Associate Professor
Department of Communication
University of Washington, Seattle
Ray San Diego
Ph.D. Student
Culture and Theory Progam
University of California, Irvine
Nitasha Tamar Sharma
Associate Professor
African American Studies and Asian American Studies
Northwestern University
Grace Wang
Associate Professor
American Studies Program
University of California, Davis
Janelle Wong
Professor
American Studies
Director, Asian American Studies
University of Maryland, College Park