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HONOLULU — UH Mānoa faculty members Dr. Ching Yuan (C.Y.) and Ming Ming (Ming) Hu have established an endowment to provide funding for international student exchange opportunities. The Ching Yuan and Ming Ming Hu Student Exchange Endowment will support undergraduate and graduate students from China, Taiwan or Hong Kong who are pursuing studies in the agriculture field. The exchange will offer the international students an opportunity to interact with faculty and students at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR), and learn about the unique agricultural environment Hawaiʻi offers and new developments in the industry.

"Having our own faculty members step forward with such a generous gift is really inspiring! Their support of international exchange students will strengthen our relationships across the Pacific and support our global partnerships, now and into the future," said UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia S. Hinshaw. "CTAHR's expertise has much to offer in solving the world's agriculture-related challenges."

Ching Yuan Hu and Ming Ming Jung were born and raised in Taiwan. They met while attending National Chung-Hsing University in Taichung. Hu came to the U.S. in 1977 to attend graduate school at University of California, Davis. Ming worked for China Airlines and later attended California State University, Sacramento where she earned her MS degree in Computer Science. She then worked as a programmer in the Silicon Valley while C.Y. completed his PhD degree in Nutrition. Upon completion, C.Y. accepted a post-doctoral research associate position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska. While there, Ming worked as a programmer at the research center.

C.Y.'s career includes serving as professor in the Animal Science Department at Oregon State University (OSU), assistant Extension Agriculture leader and assistant director of Oregon Agricultural Experiment Station at OSU, and dean of the College of Agriculture at Sultan Qaboos University, Sultanate of Oman.

Ming worked as a research assistant for Dr. Warren Kronstadt, the prominent wheat breeder, spent many years as programmer and database manager for the contractors of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and at the OSU computer center as a database manager. She capped her career with a position at UH Mānoa, in the Admissions and Records Office.

C.Y. joined the faculty at UH Mānoa in 2005 as the associate dean and associate director for CTAHR. In 2011 C.Y. was appointed as interim assistant vice chancellor for research and graduate education.

One of the programs C.Y. initiated is a summer program for the South China Agricultural University. The objective of the program is to give students a taste of American college education, and to improve their communication skills and critical thinking.

"Dr. Hu reinvigorated, established and encouraged a number of productive research and education collaborations between the college and a wide range of Chinese universities and agricultural academies," said Sylvia Yuen interim dean, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). "With this generous endowment the legacy of international educational bridge-building will continue."

C.Y. and Ming Hu concluded, "With 22% of world population and 7% of world landmass, China needs many more well-educated specialists in agriculture to produce enough food to feed her people, and manage her natural resources. CTAHR can play an important role in training this next generation of agricultural specialists and natural resources managers."

To learn how you can support the programs and students at CTAHR, please visit www.uhfoundation.org/GivetoCTAHR.

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The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaiʻi System. The mission of the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is to unite donors' passions with the University of Hawaiʻi’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawaiʻi and our future generations.

Our vision is to inspire giving and partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi by fostering UH pride and passion among donors, alumni and the community. We value and strive to emulate service, excellence, integrity, trust, teamwork, and accountability. www.uhfoundation.org.