A Message from The President
Hailing from Canada and then from Ohio, of Scottish-Japanese heritage, Arthur “Art” Matsu ’28 arrived at William & Mary in 1924. Matsu served in student organizations and won widespread acclaim on the gridiron as a star player on offense and defense. After graduation, Matsu blazed trails as the first Asian-American quarterback in the NFL and a long-time coach and recruiter at the college level. Matsu’s legacy is one of several student pioneers in the 1920s, brought to light by William & Mary students, faculty, and staff, through more than a decade of research. He holds the distinction as one of the first Asian and Asian-American students to have studied at William & Mary, along with Pu-Kao Chen ’23, believed to be the first international student of color to attend the university, Ming Pan ’25, and Hatsuye Yamasaki ’37. In the decades since, Asian and Asian-American graduates of William & Mary have gone on to become entrepreneurs, scholars, artists, legislators, and numerous other leadership roles in this country and around the world.
In 2021-22 William & Mary will celebrate the Asian Centennial, marking 100 years since Chen arrived at the university. Our commemoration explores the groundbreaking experiences of Asian and Asian-American students, faculty, and staff – elevating their stories as defining parts of William & Mary’s history. We call ourselves into this year of sustained reflection, asking, “for the sake of what do we commemorate the experiences of those who came before us?” As an institution of higher education, William & Mary’s vision is “to understand and change the world.” While we celebrate this century of pioneers, the aims of remembering and research should include: to inspire belonging; to create new knowledge; to deepen understanding of our university’s history; and to advance William & Mary’s aspirations as a cosmopolitan, international, and multicultural institution. The Asian and Pacific Islander American Studies (APIA) program has grounded this celebration in years of primary research.
Established in 2016, the program has accelerated efforts to uncover the hidden stories of the first students of color to attend William & Mary and shape this community. In doing so, APIA advocates for a more inclusive community – for all our alumni and for our current and future students. And it deepens William & Mary’s expansive history as the alma mater of a nation distinguished by our vibrantly diverse, global heritage. I look forward to celebrating with you the accomplishments of decades of William & Mary students, alumni, faculty, and staff.
– Katherine A. Rowe President
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