A generous donation from the Alice & JP Wang Foundation will help students with the costs of studying abroad in Taiwan as part of the Chinese Language Flagship Program at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s College of Arts, Languages & Letters.
The Alice & JP Wang Foundation Student Support Fund for Study in Taiwan will provide scholarships to help students with the costs of studying in Taiwan either over a summer or for their final year of the program.
As part of the Chinese Language Flagship Program, students must spend eight weeks in a summer intensive Chinese language program, UHM in Taiwan, and then study in Taiwan during a mandatory Capstone Year.
In addition to enhancing their learning and communicating in Mandarin Chinese, the students are able to experience new perspectives, learn how to navigate different cultures and develop personal networks that enhance their prospects in the world’s marketplace and their potential as global problem-solvers. Additionally, students studying abroad build relationships within their host communities and help to demonstrate American values and debunk stereotypes.
Dr. Song Jiang, director of UH Manoa’s Chinese Language Flagship Program, said the funds from the Alice & JP Wang Foundation Student Support Fund for Study in Taiwan will help to cover students’ travel, tuition and living expenses. Jiang expects the first call for applications for the scholarships to go out during the spring semester.
“The ability of our Flagship students to continue their studies in Taiwan is crucial as it affords them the opportunity to enhance their language capabilities through living in a Chinese-speaking society, and it provides them with the opportunity to gain a level of cultural competence otherwise not available to them,” Jiang said. “This very generous donation helps us to reach a greater number of students who want to further their studies in Taiwan to reach their academic and career goals.”
The students took their first sightseeing trip of the summer in 2023 at the Hot Spring Museum in Beitou.The California-based Alice & JP Wang Foundation was established by JP Wang, founder of the information technology firm Golden Star Technology Inc., and his wife, Alice Wang. Their foundation has also supported more 50 scholarships in California.
“I am grateful to the (Alice and JP Wang) Foundation for their support of our students’ language immersion training in Taiwan, an essential component of the Chinese Flagship program,” said CALL Dean Peter Arnade. “Their gift will make a tangible difference in our students’ ability to complete the Flagship program and achieve advanced proficiency in Mandarin.”
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Honolulu was instrumental in introducing the foundation to the UH Mānoa program, Jiang said.
UH Mānoa started its Chinese Language Flagship program, one of 13 in the U.S., in 2014. The program is sponsored by The Language Flagship, a federally funded initiative of the Defense Language and National Security Education Office whose mission is to help undergraduate students pursue professional-level proficiency in such languages as Mandarin Chinese, Korean, Arabic and Russian. UH Mānoa is also the only U.S. university to offer a Language Flagship program in Korean.
Students who complete Language Flagship programs receive certificates that make them eligible for jobs with the Department of Defense, the Department of State and other federal agencies, as well as private corporations with a global presence, law firms, media, health care and education.
Questions? / More Information
If you would like to learn how you can support UH students and programs like this, please contact us at 808 376-7800 or send us a message.
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