A P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E R E V E S C E N T E R F O R I N T E R N AT I O N A L S T U D I E S AT WILLIAM & MARY
VOL. 14, NO. 2, FALL 2021
Reves alumni: Building a better world ALSO SCHOLARSHIP HONORING COLIN POWELL ASIAN CENTENNIAL EXHIBIT AT SWEM
A PUBLICATION OF THE REVES CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES AT WILLIAM & MARY VOL. 14, NO. 1, FALL 2021
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1 FROM THE DIRECTOR
W&M IN THE WORLD 2 In Their Own Words: Reves Hall Alumni International Career Panel 10 New Scholarship Honors General Colin Powell
STUDY ABROAD 12 Project GO 14 Sustainability & Study Abroad 16 W&M Maintains Leadership in Study Abroad
COMMUNITY
The Reves Center for International Studies advances the internationalization of teaching, learning and research at William & Mary. Global education, support for international students and scholars, and the enrichment of our global community are at the heart of the Reves Center’s work. Established in 1989, the Reves Center is today one of the premier international centers in higher education. William & Mary is the number four public university for undergraduate study abroad participation, with more than 55 percent of the university’s undergraduates studying outside the U.S. before graduation. In a typical year, more than 1,200 international students, scholars, and their families from nearly 70 countries come to William & Mary. And the Reves global enhancement team builds and supports international initiatives across the university.
18 Dolma ’21 Uses Master in Laws Degree in Service to Her Tibetan Community
REVES INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD – FALL 2021
20 Stories of first Asian students at W&M
Kira C. Allmann ’10
James D. Hunter ’85
Young Ju Rhee ’98
Stanley “Butch” Barr ’62
David C. Larson ’75
Soh Yeong Roh ‘84
Jane H. Carpenter-Rock ’92
Donald F. Larson ’76
Aaron Rosenberg ‘99
Guillermo S. Christensen
New York, NY
STUDENTS 23 Harriman Fellows 28 W&M team returns from iGEM competition bearing honors 30 Fulbright Scholar Lavare Henry Ph.D. ‘24
RESEARCH 31 Lasisi to research the ‘Landscape of Power’ of Ijebu-Ode 32 Zou finds Chinese entrepreneurs are loving the ‘ziyou’ they find in Ghana 33 Comparison of COVID responses
FACULTY RESEARCH & BOOKS 36 Rahtz discusses new book on Community, Economy and COVID-19 37 New Books in Print
ALUMNUS ABROAD 38 Q&A with Ho-Seung Lee ‘95
United Kingdom
Williamsburg, VA
Upper Marlboro, MD Arlington, VA
Susan Corke ‘97 Washington, DC
John S. Dennis ’78 Switzerland
Scott R. Ebner ’96, Vice Chair Boston, MA
Darien, CT
Fort Myers, FL McLean, VA
Matthew Lentz ‘96 Thomas C. Lillelund ‘95 Luxembourg
Tom McInerney Richmond, VA
Mark Murtagh ‘89 New York, NY
Michael O’Leary P’22 Alexandria, VA
Rodney Faraon
Bruce W. Pflaum ’75
Gregory J. Golden
Sharon K. Philpott ’85, Chair
Arlington, VA
Falls Church, VA
Deborah A. Hewitt ‘75 Williamsburg, VA
Valerie Hopkins ‘09 Moscow, Russia
Lake Oswego, OR
White Salmon, WA
Ian M. Ralby ‘05 Owings Mills, MD
Boston, MA
Seoul, Republic of Korea Washington, DC
Susan Rutherford ’89 Delray Beach, FL
Corey D. Shull ’06 Baltimore, MD
Patricia Trinler Spalding ’83 San Jose, Costa Rica
Jobila Williams Sy ‘07 Midlothian, VA
Carl E. Tack III ‘78 Williamsburg, VA
Philip Tuning MBA ‘02 Providence Forge, VA
Nathan Younge Falls Church, VA
FROM THE DIRECTOR Like many at W&M, the Reves’ This edition of World Mindhomecoming panelists share an ened showcases the joyful homecomduring commitment to service. With ing of a group of alumni, graduates careers in government, education of the classes of 1993 and 1994, who and at various NGOs, they are workcame together in-person after eighing to build a better world and along teen months of pandemic distancing the way, inspiring W&M students to to celebrate lasting friendships and join them. In this edition of World to discuss international careers. The Minded, you will find signs of a simexpertise of the group ranges from ilar service commitment-- in Reves’ urban tree science to international work on Sustainability Abroad (p. 14), education, from international develin the Project Global Officer grant for opment to military service. The locamilitary-friendly and veteran-friendtions where the panelists have lived ly education (p. 12), in the selection and worked include Afghanistan, Bosof W&M students as Harriman World nia, Burkina Faso, China, Germany Fellows (p. 24), and in the new Study and Kosovo. Most remarkably, these Teresa Longo Abroad scholarship in honor of Gen. accomplished alumni trace their traExecutive Director, Colin Powell’s lifetime of service (p. jectories back to the Reves Center Reves Center for 10). for International Studies. Reves has International Studies changed since the panelists lived and Reves’ homecoming panelists restudied here in the 1990s, yet the key ferred to W&M as a community deopportunities--international research, global education, living and working in an international fined by a generosity of time and intellect. As you explore World Minded, notice how the concepts-- intellect, time community-- resonate now. and community-- materialize in the work we do. When Speaking to an audience of W&M alumni, students, doctoral student Yijie Zou researches the Chinese entrefaculty and staff, Ken Beare, Claire Ehmann, Chai-Shian preneurial community in Ghana, his work sheds light on Kua, Ducie Le and Jonathan Noble discussed their own typically overlooked international relationships (p. 32). international career trajectories. They also discussed the When undergraduate students Sumie Yotsukura and Brichanging nature of work, asking the audience to consider an Zhao study the history of the first W&M students of such practical questions as what should our buildings be Asian ancestry, they also honor the current community for, what should telework accomplish, and what essen- (p. 20). When LL.M. graduate Rizgin Dolma applies her tially, is the future of work? Like the panelists, at Reves we W&M legal training, she contributes to the justice system approach the everyday work of global engagement, global at home in Tibet (p. 18). And as you read, I hope you will education and international community enrichment with see the extent to which time, intellect, generosity and a optimism and joy. Reves’ near and long-term future is one commitment to community ultimately shape student caof building and deepening partnerships around the world reers and perhaps, structure the very future of work. for the sake of research, education and community.
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ON THE COVER
Editor: Kate Hoving, Public Relations Manager, Reves Center for International Studies
Reves Hall Alumni at Career Panel. Standing (L-R): Ken Beare ‘93, Chai-Shian Kua ‘04; Vanessa Estella ‘94; Peter Jones ‘94; Seated L-R: Claire Ehmann ‘94, Ducie Le ‘94 and Jonathan Noble ‘94. Photo credit: Kate Hoving
Contributing Writers: Tina Eshleman, University Marketing; Stephanie McGuire Ph.D. ‘23; Joe McClain, University Communications; Martha Reilly, W&M Global Research Institute staff; Jeffrey Rich, Raymond A. Mason School of Business; Crystal Wang ‘25; Jordan Williams, W&M Libraries.
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IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Reves International Career Panel
The Reves Center and alumni who lived in Reves Hall in the ‘90s joined forces to host an international career panel. The alumni traveled from Texas, Chicago, Indiana, California and D.C, for Homecoming weekend in order to impart some of the wisdom they have gained since graduation. The transcript has been edited slightly for clarity and length.
KEN BEARE ‘93 CAPTAIN, TEXAS ARMY NATIONAL GUARD Ken Beare is a captain in the Texas Army National Guard in a part-time (“M-Day” or “Traditional”) status. He grew up in Wilmington, Delaware, and graduated from William & Mary in 1993 with an interdisciplinary degree in political philosophy. He pursued graduate study in philosophy at the University of Pennsylvania, dropping out after three years. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1996 as a combat engineer. He was stationed in Louisiana and Germany, with peacekeeping deployments to Bosnia and Kosovo. After leaving active duty in 2003, he returned to Delaware and joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. He deployed to Iraq in 2004-2005 and to Afghanistan in 2008. After commissioning as an engineer officer in 2011, he deployed to Kuwait in 2012-2013. He moved to Austin in 2014 and transferred to the Texas Army National Guard. From 2017-2020 he commanded a combat engineer company; his command time included service on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2017-2018. Most recently he deployed again to Kuwait in 2020-2021 as a staff officer with the 36th Infantry Division. His interests include running, history, French, travel, and long walks to and from Whole Foods. He is currently working on his first novel.
CLAIRE EHMANN ’94 SENIOR EXECUTIVE, DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR MANAGEMENT SERVICES, USAID Claire Ehmann oversees the Agency’s operational readiness, workforce safety during the COVID-19 pandemic, and a wide range of management services. She also manages the Agency’s real estate portfolio and planning efforts for the post-pandemic Future of Work. She has served as an Agency career representative for two Presidential transitions, ensuring smooth continuity of USAID operations across changes of Administration. From 2015-16, she was selected as a White House Leadership Development Fellow and spent a year at the Office of Management and Budget, working on federal IT, open data, and data-driven decision making for the Federal Chief Information Officer. As the Division Chief for Civil Society and Media in USAID’s Center of Excellence on Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance for nine years, Ehmann led a team that provided technical expertise to USAID field missions to design foreign assistance programs; generated cutting-edge research; and developed several partnerships with civil society, the philanthropic community and the private sector to promote freedom of association and assembly. She also served as a technical expert on democracy, civil society and media in the Bureaus for Asia and the Middle East, and Europe and Eurasia. Prior to joining USAID in 2002, Ms. Ehmann served in the Department of State’s Bureau for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor and the Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration as a Presidential Management Fellow. Ms. Ehmann has a Master’s Degree in International Public Affairs from the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University and was a Fulbright Scholar.
CHAI-SHIAN KUA ’94 URBAN TREE SCIENCE LEADER, THE MORTON ARBORETUM Dr Chai-Shian Kua, is the Morton Arboretum’s Urban Tree Science Leader. She works with a wide range of stakeholders on projects related to urban tree research and management. Chai-Shian is currently leading the 2020 Chicago Region Tree Census, working closely with the Chicago Region Trees Initiative (CRTI) and the Center for Tree Science (CTS). She is also an adjunct Associate Professor at the Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Urban Tree Ecology and Applications (SERCUTEA), where she works with colleagues on developing science-based urban tree management strategies. Her efforts to develop and improve relationships with partners in China resulted in a signed Memorandum of Understanding aimed at expanding professional exchanges and collaborations on urban tree research. Some of the many projects she has helped develop with academic and industry partners include a pilot study monitoring urban tree water use with realtime smart sap flow sensors (with ICT International, Australia) and genomic sequencing of Tanoak (with CGI-USA, the University of Tennessee, UC Davis, and UC Berkeley).
DUCIE LE ‘94 ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, FEDERAL RESERVE BANK At the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, DC, Ducie Le oversees twenty attorneys, economists, analysts, and managers enforcing financial consumer protection laws and conducting mergers & acquisitions analysis. Before returning to the Federal Reserve in 2013, Le served as Associate General Counsel for Capital One in its headquarters in McLean, Virginia. At Capital One, she led the company’s Regulatory Policy Team. Prior to joining Capital One in 2006, Le was an attorney at the Federal Reserve Board for seven years where her responsibilities included drafting regulations and guidance. Le began her legal career as an attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice and spent her law school summers interning at the Bangkok office of Baker & McKenzie and working with asylum seekers in the Hong Kong refugee camps. Le received her J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center. .
JONATHAN NOBLE ‘94 SENIOR ASSISTANT PROVOST FOR INTERNATIONALIZATION, NOTRE DAME UNIVERSITY Noble leads Notre Dame International’s global research, international partnerships and advancement, and serves as the University’s regional leader for Asia and Europe. Noble is a teaching professor for Notre Dame International, an advisor for the Keough School of Global Affairs, an associate of the University’s global advancement team, and a faculty fellow of the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the Liu Institute for Asia & Asian Studies, and the Initiative for Global Development. As assistant provost for Asia between 2012 and 2017, Noble was the founding director of the Beijing Global Gateway and founder of the Greater China Scholars Program. Focusing his research and teaching on contemporary Chinese culture and society, Noble is the author of over 50 articles, essays, and translations, and was one of 20 China scholars in the United States selected in 2005 to participate in the inaugural Public Intellectuals Program sponsored by the National Committee on United States-China Relations. Noble holds a Ph.D. in East Asian languages and literatures from The Ohio State University..
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DUCIE LE (MODERATOR): It’s a pleasure and honor for all of us to be back here. When Chai-Shian was living at Reves she was an international student from Malaysia majoring in biology with a minor in music. Next to her is Jon [Noble]. Jon, you were an in-state Virginia student majoring in East Asian Studies. Claire, you and I were roommates; you were from New York and majoring in English. Ken, you were from Delaware, majoring in political philosophy. So, as you can see, there are a lot of different backgrounds represented here—in STEM, in academia, in government and in military here. We’re excited to talk about the spirit of Reves and our different career paths in the international arena. Vanessa Estella ‘94 was from Guam studying government. She is monitoring the Zoom chat. I think the first question I have for all of you is what do you do for a living and what did you do after leaving William & Mary to get to this point in your career. CHAI-SHIAN KUA: I am currently the Urban Tree Science Leader at the Morton Arboretum of Chicago, and if you were to tell me that I would be working with trees when I was student here, I would say, “No way!” I knew nothing about trees. I came here to study human genetics and
biology, and then I went on to grad school in the U.K. to do my master’s degree in human genetics and then I went back to Malaysia to start a PhD in cancer research on the island of Borneo. But somehow when I was in Borneo there were many things that happened including a forest fire and a financial crisis in the ‘90s, and I came back to the U.S., and the reason I came back is mainly I met a botanist there and then I started studying trees, because DNA is DNA. It’s just four letters, whether it’s human or trees; the technology is transferable. So I started working on plants and trees and then we moved to China and worked in a botanical garden. Part of the reason was because I want our kids to learn Chinese so we moved to Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden near the border of Laos in southwest China working for the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and I was on the faculty while doing my Ph.D. There is that kind of flexibility in the Chinese education system. After that we came back to the U.S. and lived in Texas for a little bit. Then we moved to Chicago. JON NOBLE: If I may add a few things to Chai-Shian’s accomplishments. She is an incredible pianist, and while we were students here I think we created a duet—I played the clarinet—a duet focused on DNA.
Photo From left to right: Chai-Shian Kua; Jon Noble; Claire Ehmann; Ken Beare; Ducie Le and Teresa Longo, Executive Director of the Reves Center, who introduced the panel. (Photo by Kate Hoving)
Somehow we integrated DNA into the composition of the piece. I was studying Mandarin Chinese as a student at William & Mary and I think I passed because of Chai-Shian. She kept me motivated to study every day. When I graduated in 1994 I went immediately into graduate school and received my Ph.D. in East Asian languages and literatures nine years later in 2003. I had conducted research in Beijing for four years during that time. ChaiShian and I randomly ran into each other in what was called at the time Xinjiang Village and of course Xinjiang is in the news quite a bit these days. After finishing my Ph.D. I was hired by the University of Notre Dame to teach about China, and my research was primarily focused on underground Chinese cinema—cinema or film that was made illegally in China—and also experimental theater. After teaching for a few years the university’s provost invited me to lead the university’s Asia initiatives and that led to expanding the University of Notre Dame’s engagement and educational programs related to Asia several years later. The office— similar to Reves—called Notre Dame International, was established. I became assistant provost for Asia. I’m now senior assistant provost for internationalization. The University of Notre Dame has a network of centers FALL 2021 3
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“My intellectual, personal and professional trajectory are so very much aligned with the experience that I had here as a student. So, thank you, Reves. ” around the world, and currently I manage those centers located in London, Rome Mumbai Beijing and Hong Kong. In the early earlier days of working at Notre Dame I helped set up the university’s first institute focused on Asia and Asian studies. It’s called the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies. I developed international scholarship programs and set up the university centers in Mumbai Beijing and Hong Kong. I really owe all of this to Reves. I was greatly inspired by the time I was a student here. My intellectual, personal and professional trajectory are so very much aligned with the experience that I had here as a student, so thank you, Reves. CLAIRE EHMANN: I think a lot of us feel the same way about our career trajectory, that we really do tie it back here to the Reves Center. I work for the U.S. Agency for International Development, that’s the U.S. government’s arm for foreign aid. We do humanitarian assistance but also in international development in many sectors including health and 4
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education and then also democracy human rights and governance where I worked I was definitely influenced by the two years that I lived in Reves, and I knew I wanted to do something international after undergrad, so I had a Fulbright Scholarship to study African cinema. My connection was in Burkina Faso in Ouagadougou. There is a pan-African film festival every two years there. It’s a really great experience being able to study and also learn about living in a different culture and speak French. I wasn’t sure I wanted to go into cinema, but I had met people working in international development, so I worked for a non-profit organization that worked on nonviolent conflict. And then I realized if you want to work in the international development space most people do have a master’s degree, so I did go back and got my master’s in public affairs from Princeton University. After Princeton I was looking for jobs and I found something called the Presidential Management Fellows program. This is a program that you can only apply for coming out of your master’s degree, but it’s a really great way to get into the federal government. I thought well, we’ll try this maybe a couple years, and now it’s 21 years later and I’m still in the government. Working in the public sector is just very interesting. An organization like USAID is about 11,000 people worldwide, 5,000 domestic, so it’s big enough that you can really move around in your career. At USAID I’ve worked on different regions—Europe, Eurasia, Asia, the Middle East. I’ve worked in different sectors. I worked on democracy and human rights and governance, and now I’m the deputy director for management services, so I’m working on all of our workforce safety plans and really thinking about how all of our
staff— we’ve been teleworking since March of 2020—thinking about how we can have a safe re-entry back, and also just thinking about the future of work. I think a lot of us don’t necessarily want to go back to the same five days a week commuting, and so it’s a really interesting time thinking about what should our buildings be for, what should our telework be for, what is the new future? Working in the government there are so many different things you could possibly work on. . KEN BEARE: I have to start by saying I’m not here speaking officially on behalf of the Department of Defense or the Texas Military Department, and I’m not here to recruit anybody. I do want to encourage a greater awareness of the role that the reserve component plays in our military. When I was living in Reves I did not dream about joining the military, but three years into grad school in philosophy I dropped out. There’s no nicer way of putting that. And for the lack of any obvious alternatives, I enlisted in the United States Army as a combat engineer. There are not very many William & Mary graduates who have enlisted as combat engineers in the army; it’s not one of the brainier jobs to do. However, in my basic training unit of 150 soldiers near the end of basic training one guy came up to me asked me where I went to school, and I said William & Mary. He said, ‘Oh no way. What year?’ I said ’93. ‘No way!’ So he also was a ‘93 William & Mary graduate. We’d actually met a couple times. It turns out we happened to be in the same basic training unit. After six years I went into the Guard, and it’s been a sort of career for me, and it’s been an international career. I’ve been able to go to parts of the world that I most likely never would have gone otherwise. I’m what’s called an M-Day or Traditional Guardsman. That means that I have to do a minimum of one weekend a month and two weeks every year of training. Many if not most
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people in the reserve component usually do a lot more time than that, and that includes active duty deployments. What typically you’ll see nowadays, and for the last 20 years, is that most reservists do maybe one active duty deployment, which is a bit under a year of total active duty time about every five years. Over a third of our uniformed service members across all the branches are in the reserve component. On the Army side there are actually more soldiers in the Army Reserve in the National Guard than there are in the active duty force. In every conflict we’ve been in, the reserves have been a major part of it. The exception was the Vietnam War. In the Vietnam War very few national guard units were sent to Vietnam. People joined the national guard so that they would not be subject to the draft. But since then certainly since 9/11 the reserves have played a big role. When I was in Iraq in 2005 nearly half of all U.S. forces in Iraq and the Persian Gulf theater were reserve components.
“When you use the word ‘engagement’ in a military context, there’s a whole spectrum of activities that includes. ” So it’s something I think that a lot of people are not aware of, and I think a lot of people don’t consider the possibility of that as a career. So for me it’s had its frustrations. There are a lot of things that make you want to
scream when you’re in the military, but it’s also been a very enriching, worthwhile experience for me. LE: So for the sake of all the students, I wanted to get your thoughts on advice and recommendations you would have for students interested in your area of expertise going into your area of work. . NOBLE: In the area of the internationalization of higher education I think we can look at the past and see the enormous growth of the number of international students studying in the United States, from a few thousand students in the 1950s to over a million today, and that trajectory is likely to continue. In terms of students who are studying abroad, if you look at the numbers from the ‘50s--50,000 or so students studying abroad--that has changed to over 300,000 today and increasing. I think one can see although there are certain immediate threats to global mobility, I would argue we need to continue to help promote mobility betwee countries for education The opportunities for being involved in the international dimension of higher education are enormous, so I would say, to Claire’s point, think about the future of work; think about the future of higher education. There are several sources for information. There are professional organizations such as NAFSA for international educators. There are resources on their website. It’s easier now to connect to these organizations than ever before because there are so many online virtual events hosted not only from the United States but also from Europe and Asia and all over the world. Another organization, IIE (Institute for International Education) puts out a very important annual Open Doors report. There are many resources on their website. I would say if you’re interested in looking at the future of higher education read the Chronicle of Higher Education. I’m
“It’s good to take each opportunity and ask, ‘What am I learning from this experience?’” sure through the library at William & Mary you could get that online. But the important thing here is to think about the future of higher education. The other point I want to emphasize is mentorship is so important. Don’t be shy in terms of developing a network of mentors for yourself , which can be helpful for career discernment. When you’re facing questions or challenges about your direction mentors can be extraordinarily helpful. This is of course applicable for students, but is also applicable early in and throughout your career. . LE: What is the special ingredient that you took away from your William & Mary education and at Reves that you cannot get anywhere else? KUA: I came from Malaysia where there was more of a British-style education. I was thinking about going to college in the U.K. and I was accepted to quite a few colleges over there, but I chose to come to William & Mary because of the liberal arts education. I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to become. I wanted to have some flexibility and to try out different things and enjoy different things. I was telling Ducie at lunch just now that one of the best classes that I took at William & Mary was the harpsichord and pipe organ class. One time I was at the pipe organ at the Presbyterian Church on Richmond Road FALL 2021 5
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waiting for my professor. My professor was also the court musician for the Governor’s Palace, so he showed up in his outfit with tights, poet shirt, jacket and hat and a walking stick. It’s just so amazing; it’s as if you’re being transported back into the colonial time. That was an experience that probably you can’t find anywhere else. EHMANN: It’s not very original but I definitely would say the [William & Mary difference] is the people that I met--definitely the friends that I made at William & Mary. And then also the experience of living in Reves because it was residential. We would hang out in the kitchen. You’re always together and it’s really the way you get to know people and make good friends. We’re all still in contact. During the pandemic we would have these weekly zooms together. Ducie has instituted a Reves Zoom and I really want to give Ducie a lot of credit because she really has brought all of us together. I think the experience of kind of being able to live together was one of the most special things
“Don’t be shy in terms of developing a network of mentors for yourself.”
LE: I would add just along those lines it’s the community—the professors who are teaching us day-to-day— but also the open door policy. Along with what Jon was saying, they are willing to talk to you and brainstorm 6
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“There’s a kindness, a generosity of time and intellect, that is in this community at William & Mary.” with you and talk about your future, talk about your past, talk about what your intellectual curiosities are. The friends here--like Claire said-not only are they lifelong friends but they are intellectually curious. They push you to think harder, but they’re also kind. There’s just a kindness, a generosity of time and intellect, that I think is in this community at William & Mary. When I go out in the world it’s something that I come back to because it’s comforting. It’s definitely very comforting. NOBLE: My experience studying in Beijing as a junior was absolutely transformational and phenomenal. In fact I was admitted to transfer to Juilliard because I was also a musician and when I was in China I was having such a phenomenal experience I said, “No, I am staying with William & Mary.” And I returned and I lived in Reves. And it’s the combination of the community, the care for the intellectual development of each student, and I think there’s a sense of service. All of us here are serving in the government or through higher education or NGOs in different ways, so there’s a sense of serving the community for --hopefully--a better future. LE: How did you choose your career? Was it coincidence, accident or intentional? KUA: I thought I was going to be this cancer geneticist who was going to find the cure for cancer or
something like that, but it didn’t happen that way. As I said, my husband is a botanist and we just started working together and I’m now working on trees. It has evolved from basic research doing phylogenetics, basic inquiries about evolution to what I’m doing right now, which is working with arborists evaluating the 2020 Chicago region tree census. The census is a comprehensive assessment of the value and benefits provided by trees in the Chicago region so that we understand what the region the forest is made of —the species composition and also the benefits that it provides— so we can have that information for better management of the regional forest, because trees can do many wonderful things that we’re not aware of. So I guess it just evolved organically. So intention at first—it was like I’m going to go this path—but life does not work that way. At least that’s for me. EHMANN: I think about this a lot. It’s always good to have a goal or something that you think you might like to do. I definitely thought I wanted to do something international, and I definitely also was interested in some kind of service. But as Chai-shian said, you really don’t ever know what it’s going to be. In any job, even if it’s not a very good job, you can always find something in it that you’re learning or something new. So definitely I think you can try to think through a path but it probably won’t work out that way, so it’s good to take each opportunity and ask, “What what am I learning from this experience?” BEARE: Well, as I said I had no real plan. I was 25 years old and not having good options at that point, so I joined in the late ‘90s. When I was in the regular army I served in Bosnia and Kosovo which was a very meaningful experience because we were doing peacekeeping. It was very clear what we were doing. By having stopped the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo that there were many tens of thousands of people that were remaining alive because of it.
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I was in the regular army when 9/11 happened. I got out a year or two later but then went into the guard. And for me it was always just the sense that I needed to know that I still belonged to all that. And it’s really very much an idea that you know other people are going to do this, that other units are going, other soldiers are going to be deploying to these places, and that you’re choosing to go alongside them. That really was what it worked out to for me. NOBLE: It’s really a great question and so I have many strands of thoughts running through my mind. One way to look at it is after four years of learning Chinese at William & Mary and then taking a trip to the Sackler Gallery in Washington, D.C., I realized I still couldn’t read everything, all the calligraphy. It was just a feeling of being entirely inadequate, so I think it was being motivated by a passion for intellectual curiosity. I thought I would probably get a Ph.D. in something and now I barely received it because I had switched when I was living in Beijing I was working for a real estate firm and market entry firm for three or four years and so I had to leave that management finance real estate job to then come back to the United States defend my dissertation which I did successfully and then I had left my job in Beijing and I could have returned to it I said well wait a second I have been learning and studying my entire life and the the U.S. government paid for most of my Ph.D. and I figured I needed to really serve higher education at that time. And it is such a joy and a privilege really to have the opportunity to work with college students. LE: I think the question I have for you on behalf of all William & Mary students is, where you work, what jobs do you have for current students for new graduates other categories of William & Mary alums? Are you hiring and what do you have and where can they go to find these jobs?
EHMANN: I’m really encouraging people to think about public service if you’re a student. The government is so big, there are so many different things you can do. People always ask me doesn’t the bureaucracy weigh you down? Bureaucracy is everywhere in every organization. Sometimes that bureaucracy is like a rule that actually we want to protect. Federal jobs are all posted on something called USAJobs. There is one program for students coming out of either high school or undergraduate called the Pathways Program, that is a way into the government at the lower grades. Then there is the Presidential Management Fellow program that I talked about, which is a competitive program when you’re coming out of your master’s degree program. It’s really a great opportunity. If you’re thinking about careers in international development, a lot of the jobs at USAID do require a master’s degree. I always tell people try to get experience overseas any way you can. There are lots of internship programs overseas. You can do the Peace Corps; that’s really excellent experience. You can work for some of the NGOs that actually work on foreign assistance; that’s also a great place to work to get that experience. BEARE: I didn’t do ROTC. My life would have taken a very different path if I had. William & Mary has a reserve officer training corps program that feeds both into active duty with the army and reserve duty with the army. It is possible to participate in ROTC without taking on a service obligation. Up to a certain point you can participate in ROTC without contracting or without receiving any sort of scholarship. That’s not identical to what military service is like, but it does give some degree of familiarity and introduction to service. You have to be a United States citizen to become commissioned as an officer in the military. You can be a naturalized citizen to do that. It is possible for non-citizens in some cases to
“If you want a STEM job, go talk to the professor. Knock on the door. Write an email. Try to get a research assistantship or assistantship in a lab.” enlist in the military if they already have residency status. Aside from actually serving in the military, I would encourage anybody that’s looking at an international career to learn more about the military and about the military reserves. The reason I say that is because the military plays a really huge role in our national international engagement, and that’s not just in terms of actual combat. When you use the word ‘engagement’ in a military context, there’s a whole spectrum of activities that includes: humanitarian operations; interactions with foreign governments at multiple levels; military-to-military communications; and joint training opportunities. And I think Claire would probably attest from her time with USAID that there are a lot of international functions where the military in some ways is involved or is alongside. We don’t do really well in our media culture of communicating what the military is actually like. There are a lot of stereotypes about what people are like in the military, and that’s why FALL 2021 7
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I basically can’t watch anything out of Hollywood about the military because they get everything wrong. The people in the United States military are an incredibly diverse group of people, across all ethnicities, across the whole political spectrum. So the only way to get past those stereotypes is to become more aware and actually talk to people, get to know people that are in the military, both in the active and the reserve component. Because at the end of the day all of us as citizens in the country have an investment in what our military does in our name. KUA: If you want to start a STEM job go talk to the professor. Knock on the door. Write an email. Try to get a research assistantship or internship in a lab. In the botanical world we are always looking for volunteers. If you enjoy working outside doing some gardening or restoration or anything. A lot of botanical gardens welcome volunteers to help with their work because funding is actually pretty limited in some of these NGOs. In terms of academic research at a higher levelthere are the REU programs for research experience for undergraduate programs, which is founded by the National Science Foundation, and I think it’s limited to American students only. These research opportunities are competitive but the students do get a pretty decent stipend for about 10 weeks of work. In my organization we also have programs for high school students to tag along and follow a researcher. We also have a fellowship for scientists who are interested in tree science, and senior scientists and so on and so forth. Internationally the National Science Foundation has collaborative programs with China, and those are grant-based projects. Sometimes they have funding for graduate fellows to participate in the international exchange programs NOBLE: I would just echo what has just been said and emphasize how important it is to be proactive in terms of understanding the resources that are available at your particular institution. So if it’s William & Mary, there are many wonderful resources available to support independent research or research projects and in this day and age there are many ways in which you can connect virtually to researchers around the world -- labs around the world -- NGOs around the world. So enter into conversations with your professors--your mentors--about what may be possible in terms of leveraging possibilities for international research experience and international career exploration. LE: And now to make a plug for the Federal Reserve in Washington, D.C., for those who of you who are interested. There are three programs I wanted to mention. One is summer internships and they are paid. The recruiting process is going on right now so if you’re interested in working in Washington, D.C. with the Federal Reserve the central bank of the United States that’s an option.
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The second program we have is for research assistants so if you’re about to graduate and you have an econ major mathematics statistics background the Federal Reserve actually hires U.S. college grads for two years. You’re a research assistant working with a Federal Reserve, an economist doing analysis and work with them. The idea is that it’s two years because then after that you would go off to grad school. And then the third program of course is just ongoing hiring as needs come up. We do hire and some of them are appropriate for new graduates. I do hope you consider the Federal Reserve. So the last thing I would [ask the panel] is, in two words or less, What does Reves--or your experience living here at Reves--mean to you? NOBLE: Expanding the world. LE: That’s three words! All right. Claire you’ve got to beat that. EHMANN: Colorful community. BEARE: Air conditioning.
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Photos Then & Now. Counter clockwise from bottom right: Ducie Le was a President’s Aide to then-W&M PresidentTim Sullivan; International Fashion Show spring 1992 featuring Ducie Le, Chia-Shian Kua, Ken Beare and Claire Ehmann (Photos courtesy of Ducie Le). Ken Beare in discussion with Thomas Liu ‘22 and Nathaly Perez Rojas ‘22; Jon Noble and Chai-Shian Kua at the reception; Vanessa Estella monitoring Zoom during the panel; Claire Ehmann looking at an old Reves Hall yearbook at the reception. (Photos by Kate Hoving)
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New scholarship created at William & Mary honors Gen. Colin Powell BY TINA ESHLEMAN, UNIVERSITY MARKETING
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ith $1 million in seed funding from a William & Mary Foundation trustee who wishes to remain anonymous, the university will establish an endowed fund to begin awarding the Colin Powell Global Engagement Scholarship in the 2024-2025 academic year to at least six outstanding students who seek to study abroad. Other donors who wish to contribute toward the scholarship in tribute to Powell could expand its impact by increasing the number of recipients.
“We are deeply grateful to our trustee for her generosity,” said President Katherine A. Rowe. “Colin Powell dedicated his life to public service and to creating opportunities for young people. His remarkable legacy lives on through this gift. The Powell scholarship will open doors for future leaders to gain the kind of transformative experience that comes from studying abroad.” Gen. Powell, who passed away on Oct. 18 at age 84, served as National Security Adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. He broke racial barriers as the first Black American to hold all three positions. The son of Jamaican immigrants, he graduated from the City College of New York and joined the Army through the ROTC. During his 35-year military career, he served two decorated combat tours in Vietnam and rose through the ranks to become a four-star general. In launching the first scholarship of its kind to be named in Powell’s honor, the trustee also pays homage to the extraordinary leadership of the general’s son, Michael K. Powell ’85, D.P.S. ’02, with the William & Mary Foundation. He recently ended his term as chair of the W&M Foundation and served on the Board of Visitors from 2001 to 2009, including three years as rector. “Gen. Powell’s service to our country and his faithfulness to the principles on which it was founded are an inspiration to us all,” said the trustee, who is an alumna. “I hope that students who receive this scholarship will learn from his example and from that of Michael Powell, who exemplifies so well what it means to be a leader both on the national level and at our beloved alma mater.” Consistent with the values that Colin Powell demonstrated throughout his career, the scholarship will advance William & Mary’s strategic goals of addressing global challenges, forging dynamic partnerships to fuel positive change and modeling democratic ideals. It will 10
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also encourage consequential research and scholarship and enhance opportunities for students to serve the global community. W&M is the No. 4 public university in the United States for studying abroad. In a typical year, William & Mary’s Reves Center for International Studies helps more than 750 students—nearly 60% of all undergraduates participate by graduation—to study in over 55 countries. The new Powell scholarship will be one of William & Mary’s most prestigious opportunities for students engaged in international study. “Throughout his life, Gen. Powell modeled leadership with integrity,” said William & Mary Chancellor Robert M. Gates ’65, L.H.D. ’98, a former U.S. Secretary of Defense and CIA Director who, like Powell, served in several presidential administrations. “As someone who started from humble beginnings, he also understood the importance of mentorship and paying it forward for later generations.”
“I am excited about the potential for this scholarship to foster globally minded change-makers” —Michael K. Powell ‘85, D.P.S. ‘02 In the 1980s, Powell and his wife, Alma, chaired the Parent & Family Council at William & Mary, where all three of their children attended. In addition to Michael Powell, they include Linda Powell ’87 and Annemarie Powell Lyons ’92. Gen. Powell spoke at W&M’s 1988 Commencement ceremony and received an honorary degree from the university the same year. “We are so thankful that Colin and Alma Powell saw William & Mary as a place where their children could
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walk in the footsteps of some of our nation’s greatest leaders and blaze new trails of their own,” Rowe said. Like his father, Michael Powell entered the Army through ROTC, but a traumatic injury cut his military career short. He went on to hold leadership positions as Commissioner and Chairman of the FCC and he is currently President and CEO of NCTA — The Internet and Television Association. He and his wife, Jane Knott Powell ’85, have established multiple scholarships at William & Mary, with a focus on leadership and opening doors for students from underrepresented backgrounds. Of the William & Mary students who studied abroad during the pre-pandemic 2018-2019 academic year and the summer of 2019, 23% received scholarships through the university’s Global Education Office. There is a particular need for scholarships during the summer, when general financial aid is more limited. Although 72% of students who applied for summer study abroad scholarships that year received some level of aid, the funding was not enough for every interested student to participate, says Sylvia Mitterndorfer, director of global education at the Reves Center, noting that the Powell scholarship represents a significant stride toward making study abroad experiences possible for more students. Students who apply for the Powell scholarship will be required to submit an application describing their leadership experiences in the classroom and in campus or public service organizations, as well as their vision for how studying abroad will assist them in their career path. A Reves Center committee will review the applications with the goal of identifying the highest-caliber recipients. Scholarship funds may be applied to study abroad programs during the fall or spring semester, or summer and winter terms. After returning to campus, the Powell scholars will share a report with the Reves Center about their overseas experiences and they will engage with scholarship donors at events throughout the year. Michael Powell says his family is profoundly moved by the creation of the scholarship honoring his father’s legacy. “It was when I was a student at William & Mary that I began to think I was capable of leadership,” he said. “My father taught me that sometimes people will see potential in you before you see it in yourself. That was true for me at William & Mary, and because of that, I was able to thrive here. I am excited about the potential for this scholarship to foster globally minded change-makers.”
Photo: Honoring Powell: Gen. Colin L. Powell D.P.S. ’88 (right) served as National Security Adviser, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State. He broke racial barriers as the first Black American to hold all three positions. He is pictured here with his son, Michael K. Powell ’85, D.P.S. ’02, who recently ended his term as chair of the W&M Foundation and served on the Board of Visitors from 2001 to 2009, including three years as rector. Courtesy photo
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W&M’s Project GO study abroad program aims to build effective military leaders through critical language education BY NATHAN WARTERS
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illiam & Mary has received a Project Global Officer grant that will allow it to build on its strengths as a leader in foreign language education and study abroad, while also helping the university advance its efforts to further establish itself as a military-friendly and veteran-friendly institution.
Project GO is a nationwide program open to all qualified ROTC students that offers fully-funded opportunities in critical language education, overseas study and cross-cultural experience. Through this program, future military officers develop linguistic and cross-cultural communication skills. W&M is partnering with European Humanities University in Vilnius, Lithuania, and National Central University in Taoyuan, Taiwan, to offer summer study abroad Project GO programs in 2022 in Russian and Mandarin Chinese. W&M’s Project GO program is open not only to William & Mary students, but also to students at universities throughout the country with at least second-year-level proficiency in Russian or Mandarin Chinese. “William & Mary President Katherine A. Rowe and Provost Peggy Agouris have both emphasized the critical importance to our university of close collaboration with our military and federal partners,” said W&M Vice Provost for Academic and International Affairs (VPAIA) Stephen E. Hanson. “They are also strongly supportive of our ongoing efforts to further expand our global reach through partnerships with foreign universities. Project GO thus dovetails closely with W&M’s emerging strategic priorities, giving us the opportunity simultaneously to strengthen our partnerships with military stakeholders as well as institutions of higher education in allied and friendly nations.” W&M’s Project GO program will build effective military leaders in the Army, Navy and Air Force. “While the Project Global Officer opportunity certainly helps our current students, I take the long view that we are helping to build a cohort of U.S. citizens who are committed to public service,” said Army Lt. Col. Jason C. Finch, chair of W&M’s Department of Military Science.
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“That service can be overseas but it also might be as a productive citizen in any hometown across the globe.” The intensive eight-week programs will run from early June to mid-August and will follow the model for other William & Mary faculty-led study abroad programs. There will be daily language courses at the host universities, as well as field trips. Bella Ginzbursky-Blum, senior lecturer in Russian language and culture, and Chun-Ying Lin, Chinese lecturer, will lead student groups to the host universities this summer. “It really speaks to the quality of our teaching staff who are going to put together a wonderful experience for these students,” said Michael Hill, associate professor of Chinese studies for the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures (MLL). “And hopefully we’ll have some repeat customers because these students can apply and they can come back. It’s not limited to one year, so it would be great if we see some of them more than once.” Students will participate in a one-credit introductory course in May where they will be instructed on the cultural and political context for each region. “I think it’s a great investment in the students’ careers,” said Sasha Prokhorov, Russian studies program director at W&M. “It will provide them with opportunities in the future after they graduate with more career choices because they will have a unique expertise in the language and culture of the region.” VALUABLE SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
Susan Manion, W&M’s Project GO coordinator at the Reves Center’s Global Education Office, was a 20-year Army veteran and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the position of deputy brigade commander before making her way to William & Mary. She can attest to the value of foreign language skills for those wanting to be military officers. “There are so many different opportunities or missions that we had where we worked with foreign militaries, with partner nations, especially NATO nations,” said Manion, who was stationed in Germany twice. “And yes, there were units that spoke English, but you always felt that there was a barrier there. I think that the language ae culture courses are so important, and I think that the Department of Defense has recognized that, and that’s part of why this program has come about. They want to make sure that their military officers are ready to step into this role and understand the countries that we’re dealing with and their cultures.”
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William & Mary is one of 25 universities in the U.S. that offer Project GO programming. The amount of W&M’s Project GO award for the academic year 2021-22 was $529,000. According to Hill, this is the first major federal teaching and training grant for MLL at W&M. Most previous funding received by the department was for faculty research. “It’s a very generous scholarship for students,” Hill said. “It’s similar to the Critical Languages Scholarship because it provides airfare, lodging, tuition, meal stipend and other benefits.” While Project GO programming is often offered at other universities during the fall and spring semesters, W&M will tap into its strengths as a leader in study abroad to offer its program in the summer. William & Mary was the No. 4 public university in the U.S. for undergraduate study abroad participation for the 2019-20 academic year, according to an Open Doors report by the Institute of International Education and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs. Year after year, W&M is ranked a top leader in the nation for study abroad, with a commitment to international experiences and opportunities. Nearly 60% of all undergraduates study abroad in their W&M careers. This program was made possible by W&M’s strong model for operating study abroad programs, as well as the support of the Global Education Office at The Reves Center for International Studies and the university’s Department of Military Science. The Office of Sponsored Programs and the Whole of Government Center of Excellence were also instrumental in the proposal. Since 2007, Project GO has provided approximately 6,500 students with opportunities to study culture and 19 languages, both domestically and abroad in 33 countries around the world. “Once we’ve run the program for the first year, we can make adjustments and improve on student activities and excursions,” Hill said. “We’re hoping to successfully complete the three-year grant cycle and be able to renew that and pursue similar training and educational grants in other areas.”
Project GO partners: William & Mary plans to send students to the campus of North Central University in Taiwan (top) over the summer as part of its Project GO study abroad program. It is one of two Project GO partner institutions for W&M, along with European Humanities University in Lithuania. Submitted photos
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The College and UVA host a panel to discuss sustainability abroad BY CRYSTAL WANG ‘25
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uesday, Oct. 26, William & Mary and the University of Virginia hosted a virtual Sustainability Abroad panel discussion. It was an open discussion led by four panelists with input from the audience about their own experiences, perspectives and approaches. William & Mary’s Global Education Special Programs Advisor Marina LaMastro and UVA’s Education Abroad Advisor Hayley Spear were the discussion moderators. LaMastro started by explaining the collaboration between William & Mary and UVA. “We were trying to put together a few different events to create engagement across the two universities because UVA and William & Mary have joined an agreement to be carbon neutral by 2030,” LaMastro said. As the event began and people filed in, LaMastro asked the four panelists to introduce themselves. They were from different backgrounds and specialized in different topic areas. UVA’s Director of Global Environments and Sustainability major and professor of architecture Phoebe Crisman spoke on the importance of representing differing ideas. “It’s always good in these panels to have a diverse group of people because they’re [going to] see the world differently,” Crisman said. Merritt Steadman ’23, an audience member, shared their thoughts on the interdisciplinary nature of sustainability. “Sustainability is something that can be incorporated into so many different fields and so it’s good to have faculty that are interested in it throughout the different academic fields,” Steadman said.
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The event’s panelists included faculty from both universities. From W&M, Global Research Institute Associate Director David Trichler, and assistant professor of government S.P. Harish spoke, and from UVA, assistant professor of global studies Spencer Phillips and the aforementioned Phoebe Crisman. The organizers wanted the panel to be a general conversation that looked at whether we could learn any lessons on sustainability from abroad; they centered the discussion on four main questions. Mia Parrott ’24, an audience member, stated that the question topics were helpful and insightful for those considering going abroad. “They were very interesting,” Parrott said. “These were things that I have been wondering myself, too. Here we have a lot more freedom to choose what we do day by day and a lot of places have barriers to them becoming more sustainable.” Steadman echoed that sentiment, saying that the questions that led to useful discussion. “I think they did a pretty good job of staying on track,” Steadman said. “They definitely talked about things that students should think about when studying abroad.” The first question of what successes and challenges to sustainability they’ve witnessed abroad prompted only a few minutes of discussion. The panelists discussed seeing renewable energy in places that don’t have access to the electric grid and also being able to give their students a view of a different way of life. However, they also discussed the way that cost was a huge challenge to overcome in developing countries. The moderator then moved on to cultural shifts and barriers that
participants had witnessed when it came to sustainability. Trichler was quick to point out how sustainability practices differ depending on the situation an area finds themselves in. “It often goes back to priorities versus needs,” Trichler said. “And I think depending on where the study abroad is located, you can see different engagements with this question of sustainability…Where you sit determines what you prioritize.” Harish brought the example of impoverished places in India cutting down trees for firewood. Where we think of soil erosion and other problems down the line, their thoughts are on lack of heating during the winter months. Other panelists chimed in with their own witnessed examples. Taking a detour from sustainability, LaMastro asked the panel about things to consider before going abroad. Panelists responded with a variety of answers that all connected back to learning the culture of a country before visiting. At the halfway point, the moderators assigned audience members and panelists to breakout rooms. In an email, Trichler wrote that he enjoyed meeting with students from both universities and was able to talk about future plans. “We were able to discuss some broad opportunities at both schools, as well as specific opportunities at W&M based on their interests, including the Summer Fellows program at the Global Research Institute,” Trichler said. Spear asked the third question of how panelists would encourage their students to have a positive relationship with local culture. The general consensus is through immersion: taking public transportation, eating
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the local food, trying to live in the same conditions that locals do. Doing these things exposes students to some of the systems that could be improved or are more sustainable than our systems. Spencer added that having a packed schedule takes away from efforts for immersion and learning. The discussion moved onto the fourth question of how we can do education abroad while being sustainable. Spencer brought up the more research-based aspects of his programs since these aspects are what the students will take with them into the future and what will help facilitate sustainability research. Crisman was more focused on carbon offsets — reducing carbon emissions in one area to compensate for extra emissions in another. She discussed a UVA International Studies Office partnership with the High Atlas Foundation in an offset program. This discussion brought on a follow-up question by LaMastro about sustainability practices that the audience has brought back from abroad. The panelists’ answers ranged from everyday things such as less meat consumption and disposable cups to more societal issues such as consumerism and the problem of excess choice. For more information about sustainability initiatives and programs through the Global Eduation Office, visit https://www.wm.edu/offices/revescenter/geo/studyabroad/study-abroad-programs/type/sustainability_ studyabroadprograms/index.php.
“It often goes back to priorities versus needs,” Trichler said. “And I think depending on where the study abroad is located, you can see different engagements with this question of sustainability….Where you sit determines what you prioritize.”
This article originally appeared in The Flat Hat.
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William & Mary maintains its leadership in global education during pandemic
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illiam & Mary ranks fourth among public universities in the nation in study-abroad programs, according to the 2021 Open Doors® report released Nov. 15 by the Institute of International Education (IIE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
William & Mary has consistently ranked highly, ranking first for nine times over the last 13 years. William & Mary also ranks eighth nationally for long-term study abroad participants among all doctoral-granting universities. “Notwithstanding unprecedented global disruption under pandemic conditions, William & Mary remains among the national leaders in study abroad participation rates among public universities,” said Stephen E. Hanson, Vice Provost for Academic and International Affairs. “This is a true testament to the enduring commitment of our students, faculty, and staff to the cause of global education.” PRIORITIZING OPPORTUNITY, DIVERSITY AND ACCESSIBILITY
William & Mary’s Reves Center for International Studies offers students a diverse selection of study-abroad opportunities through the Global Education Office (GEO), including more than $700,000 annually for study-abroad scholarships as one of many efforts to reduce financial barriers. Students receive support, information, resources and guidance on various study-abroad programs and international university exchanges through GEO, which also provides workshops, peer advising and re-entry assistance for students returning from their study-abroad experience.
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“Despite the many challenges the pandemic has presented to global mobility, the W&M community’s deep commitment to global education has been unwavering.” “Despite the many challenges the pandemic has presented to global mobility, the W&M community’s deep commitment to global education has been unwavering. Some students continued to study abroad in the last 20 months and programs pivoted to remote format during the peak of the pandemic,” said Sylvia Mitterndorfer, director of global education for the Reves Center. “We see tremendous excitement and interest from our students to study abroad and expect to return to pre-pandemic participation once study abroad and travel become more widely possible again.”
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THE EFFECT OF THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC ON STUDY ABROAD GENERALLY
According to Open Doors®, The COVID-19 global pandemic affected U.S. study abroad programs across the country, and to all global destinations, resulting in a 53% decline overall. Declines in U.S. study abroad programming occurred primarily during the 2020 spring and summer durations. Summer programs, which comprised 39% of all U.S. study abroad programming in 2018/19, decreased by 99% in 2019/20. During spring 2020, U.S. higher education institutions launched emergency efforts to return students to the United States, bringing a reported 55,000 students home from their studies early amid the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. study abroad programs were able to pivot and offer alternative modes of study abroad. William & Mary offered virtual meetings, classes and experiences in Cambridge as well as in Geneva. The Global Education Office also made process innovations, such as virtual advising and office visits. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS AT WILLIAM & MARY: A TRULY GLOBAL COMMUNITY
The U.S. remained open to international students during the COVID-19 pandemic. The International Students, Scholars & Programs (ISSP) office at the Reves Center interacts with more than 1,000 students, scholars, alumni and dependents annually. William & Mary currently has close to 600 international students enrolled, both graduate and undergraduate students, across multiple disciplines and professional schools. They represent more than 60 countries.
“As William & Mary move towards Vision 2026, I am confident that we will continue to be innovative in raising our national and global profile.” Eva Wong, director of International Students, Scholars and Programs (ISSP) at the Reves Center, notes that the significance of an international academic community lies at the core of the mission of William & Mary. “International student enrollment in the U.S. has been significantly impacted by the global pandemic. However, two years into the pandemic, the university is beginning to see rebounding numbers. As William & Mary moves towards Vision 2026, I am confident that we will continue to be innovative in raising our national and global profile.” The impact of W&M’s global community also has an economic impact on the region. According to data from NAFSA: Association of International Educators, international students and scholars in the Williamsburg area in 2020-2021 had more than a $30.5 million impact on the 2nd U.S. Congressional District’s economy, supporting 405 jobs.
Study abroad program participants in Oman, winter 2020. Courtesy photo.
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Dolma ’21 Uses Master in Laws Degree in Service to Her Tibetan Community BY LAW SCHOOL STAFF
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he concept of dharma can be difficult to define. Encompassing duty, learning, and discovering one’s correct life path, it is a guiding principle in Tibetan Buddhism. For Rigzin Dolma, who earned her Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) from William & Mary Law School in May 2021, the opportunity to earn a graduate degree at the school represented an unexpected waypost in her dharma. As a child of 13 in India studying at the Tibetan Children’s Village School in Leh, Ladakh, Dolma had already experienced discrimination and the impact of the uncertain legal status of Tibetans living in exile in India. Whenever disputes between Tibetans and Indians arose in her village, Tibetans always lost. Her sense
of powerlessness only grew as she got older. Dolma is the third of four daughters in a family of yak herders. The family lives in the tiny village of Sumdho, located on the desolate border between India and China. Despite uncertain circumstances and no clear vision of the family’s future, education was prized in her home. Her mother, who did not have the benefit of a primary school education, worked two jobs to save for her daughters’ education. When Dolma came across the work of Indian jurist Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (18911956) in the eighth grade, she saw her future. Ambedkar, born into the untouchable Dalit class, is regarded as the father of the 1949 Indian Constitution. As a believer in social reform, he campaigned throughout his life against discrimination toward untouchables. He earned doctorates in economics from Columbia University and the London School of Economics and served as chair of the
constitutional drafting committee. Dolma now had a role model. She had never heard of law or lawyers, but she knew she wanted to follow in Dr. Ambedkar’s footsteps. After taking every policy, economics, and social science course available at the Tibetan Children’s School, she moved to Dharamsala to attend secondary school, ultimately earning a scholarship to Mysore University. There, she finally found her niche and graduated with an LL.B. degree in 2018. After clerking for the District and Session Court in Leh and then for a senior Supreme Court litigator, she was hired as a legal assistant to the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission – the Supreme Court of the Tibetan Government in Exile. AN OPPORTUNITY AT WILLIAM & MARY
Her improbable (and virtual) journey to Williamsburg began when she met Professor Christie Warren
Top: Rigzin Dolma. Courtesy photo.
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W&M COMMUNITY
Dolma, on far left, and Professor Warren, fifth from left, met during Warren’s visit to the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission in February 2020. They are pictured with members of the Commission . Courtesy photo. Opposite page: Dolma with a family in her home village taken during a month she volunteered tutoring local children. Dolma is the third of four daughters in a family of yak herderss, Courtesy photo.
in February 2020 during Warren’s visit to the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission. Warren is Professor of International and Comparative Law and Director of the Center for Comparative Legal Studies and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding. After meeting Warren, Dolma applied to and was accepted into William & Mary Law School’s LL.M. program. Her studies were made possible by a scholarship from the law school and generous funding from Nora Lavori and David Sterling through the Lavori Sterling Foundation, Inc. “When I first met Professor Warren in my office and she promised to help me further my education, I felt that I had nothing to contribute except my personal story and my resume,” Dolma said. “When she introduced me to David and Nora, I was filled with unimaginable new hope. Without Professor Warren’s belief in me and David and Nora’s unwavering support, I never would have dared to dream of the possibility of receiving a degree from a world-class law school like William & Mary. The opportunity they have given me has changed my life.” Dolma’s LL.M. year was fraught with challenges. Because the global pandemic forced classes to be held virtually at universities across the United States in fall 2020 and spring 2021, she had to take all her courses online from her home in Dharamsala. Different time zones meant that she had to sign on to Zoom at 9 p.m.
at night and remain online until early morning, attending classes in Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Torts, Administrative Law, Comparative Constitutional Systems and Legal Research and Writing. She never missed a class. “Rigzin was one of the most hardworking and determined students I have taught in the LL.M. program,” says Jennifer Stevenson, Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, Director of the LL.M. Program, and Professor of the Practice of Law. “She realized the great value of this opportunity and never took it for granted.” Dolma continued to work full time during her LL.M. studies and provided legal guidance to the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission during an especially turbulent year when several commissioners were impeached by the Tibetan Parliament. The Dalai Lama ultimately resolved the dispute. Her capstone thesis during her studies compared the Constitution of India and the Charter of the Tibetans in Exile. She received her LL.M. degree and a Dean’s Certificate in May 2021 at the age of 26. Warren says that Dolma’s talents and commitment to her community were immediately apparent when she first met her. “She had a deep intensity about her, rare in anyone her age but even less common among young refugee women growing up in marginalized communities in which opportunities for women are limited,” Warren said. “It was clear as soon as
I met her that she had an important path ahead of her. David Sterling and Nora Lavori made that path a reality.” Sonam Norbu Dagpo, Chief Justice of the Tibetan Supreme Justice Commission, agreed. “Rigzin’s LL.M. degree from William & Mary is an immense contribution not only to her, but also to the Tibetan justice system,” he said. “It has already increased her competence and confidence and promises to benefit the greater Tibetan community throughout her career.”
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W&M COMMUNITY
Exhibit shares stories of first Asian students at W&M BY JORDAN WILLIAMS, W&M LIBRARIES
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umié Yotsukura ‘22 and Brian Zhao ’23 recently celebrated the installation of the exhibit, “Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M,” at Swem Library. The exhibit was the culmination of their research project to unearth the stories of the first Asian students to attend William & Mary.
in finding the article, and successfully located it in the library’s university archives.
“Pu Kao Chen: Thoughts of 1923 U.S. & W&M” explores the experiences of Pu Kao Chen, a 1923 graduate of William & Mary and the first Asian student to attend the university. The research project is part of the Asian Centennial at W&M, which celebrates the contribution of the preceding generations of students of Asian, Pacific Islander and Middle Eastern descent.
“It was a piece about his experiences with racism and where the origins of certain racist stereotypes and misconceptions were coming from,” Yotsukura said. “It was fascinating because these were the types of things we still talk about and analyze today.”
“I would like to think of the exhibit as the origin story explanation, because P.K. Chen’s arrival is what we are celebrating this year,” Yotsukura said. “It is an introduction for people who have not thought about Asian American history on campus.” The genesis of the exhibit emerged from an independent study Yotsukura was conducting under the guidance of Deenesh Sohoni, professor in William & Mary’s Department of Sociology. The assignment began with researching the first W&M students of Asian ancestry. During that process, Yotsukura discovered that Chen had written an article that was published in the William & Mary Literary Magazine. She took immediate interest
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The article was called “A Chinese Student’s First Impressions of America,” and shared much more insight than Yotsukura expected. In it, Chen shared his accounts of taking a boat from China to San Francisco and getting on a train to come across the United States to Virginia in great detail.
As more research was discovered, Sohoni proposed developing an exhibit to reach a broad audience. Yotsukura knew immediately that she wanted to focus on Chen and his story. “I thought, ‘What better way to talk about these findings than to let his words speak for themselves?’” Yotsukura said. “The exhibit takes you through his journey and life story as a way to bring people into Chen’s time and help understand his viewpoints.” After receiving financial support from William & Mary’s Charles Center and Global Studies Program, Sohoni enlisted Zhao to assist with the research project. Yotsukura designed and created the exhibit, and Zhao worked with the W&M Libraries’ Special Collections team to provide research assistance. The project not
W&M COMMUNITY
Visitors to the exhibit were able to post their impressions and comments. Photos by Kate Hoving
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only articulates Chen’s impression of American in his own words, but also provides a study of the other pioneers of Asian ancestry at W&M. Zhao’s research efforts helped piece together the various narratives of the first wave of Asian students and provided a timeline of their arrival, spanning from 19211961. The timeline is illustrated at the end of the exhibit and shares a photo and background information on each former student. “I spent a lot of time digging through the archives and looking at different sources online to track the stories of the cast of characters we know,” Zhao said. “We wanted to learn as much of their story as possible. It’s been like trying to put together a puzzle in a lot of ways.” Zhao gave credit to Director of Special Collections Jay Gaidmore, University Archivist Ali Zawoyski, and Exhibits Manager Jennie Davy for helping him locate various resources. The exhibit also provides a picture of the social climate 100 years ago. Sohoni encouraged his student researchers to look at the legal issues that were shaping race relations to see how they affected Asian students at W&M and to look up Flat Hat articles that depicted the racial attitudes of the time. “One of the things we discovered was at the same time that P.K. Chen was here, Virginia was passing the Racial Integrity Act,” Sohoni said. “One of the people that endorsed the act convinced W&M students to start an Anglo-Saxon Club. We don’t have a feel for how that impacted Chen specifically, but we did find very racist language toward Asians in the Flat Hat editions published during his time here.” Sohoni added there are still a lot of questions to answer. It will be an ongoing process for learning about the Asian history on campus as each new piece of information sparks ideas for understanding each story piece. However, providing an exhibit has served as an effective contribution toward developing a platform to have conversations about building on the seeds of inclusion within W&M. “I’m a traditional academic so most of the time you see your work as articles,” Sohoni said. “However, it was nice to have something that is academically based, but for the wider community. Very few people are going to read an academic article, but a lot of people are willing to check out an exhibit.”
Photos of exhibit by Kate Hoving.
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Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowships The Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowships are offered annually to four outstanding undergraduates from across the nation, chosen from students serving in summer internships with the U.S. Department of State in Washington, DC, and the U.S. Embassies in London and Paris.
The fourth fellow is the Harriman World Fellow, designated to be a William & Mary student who serves as an intern at any world capital. In summer 2021, two of the four fellows selected were William & Mary students: Bennett Hawley ‘23 in London and Paige Groome ‘22 in Washington, D.C.
Above: Hawley at U.S. Embassy London. Courtesy photo Below: Groome at the U.S. Capitol during her 2020 Winter Seminar class. Courtesy photo
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A W&M student reflects on his summer as a Harriman World Fellow at U.S. Embassy London BY KATE HOVING
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hen Bennett Hawley ‘23, an international relations major and environmental science policy minor in the St Andrews William & Mary Joint Degree Programme was selected as the 2021 Harriman World Fellow, he was in a great position to have a wonderful experience. First, already in the U.K., he was able to build off his first-hand experiences of living during a unique moment in British history with the COVID-19 pandemic, Brexit, and Scottish impendence, all common subjects of debate in and out of the University of St Andrews classroom. Second, as a World Fellow (the Harriman fellowship granted to a William & Mary student), Hawley had secured an internship on the Economics Desk at the U.S. Embassy in London, which was going to be at the epicenter of a very busy diplomatic season.
“I served with the Economics Section at a really interesting time because we had the G-7 right when I arrived––so I was instantly thrown into that work,” he recalls. “There was a lot of preparation in terms of research and analysis but also just general support for the conference. We had a lot of people coming from Washington, so the embassy was really involved in logistics.” But the G-7 was just the beginning. “Then we started preparation for COP26 [2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference], which was coming up in Glasgow in just a few weeks. It was at that point that I also started to do daily briefings for the embassy.” Hawley was getting a crash course in life as a foreign service officer at a major U.S. embassy. “The Embassy sends cables back to Washington and to all other diplomatic posts on a fairly regular basis. Sometimes these cables are issue-specific, so I was in charge of a few cables on digital tech and climate policy. I worked on U.K. competition policy and the labor market as well. Others were more routine, like the Daily Briefing. These help prep U.S. policymakers in D.C. who cover the European region on what’s happening in the U.K.”
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A FIRM ACADEMIC AND INTELLECTUAL FOUNDATION
Hawley’s William & Mary courses served him well. “As an I.R. major, a lot of my classes involved writing policy memos, especially at William & Mary, and that really was good preparation. So having that sort of experience in first year—literally in the first class you take —was really important,” Hawley says. “It allowed me to build upon that skill through first, second, and third year, so I definitely felt prepared.” Though the State Department’s Student Internship Program was remote due to COVID-19, Hawley still decided to take the train down to London. “Being in London allowed me to build a connection with people —to meet colleagues from the Embassy and Whitehall offscreen and learn from them, their careers, and things that they’ve learned along the way. That really was valuable.” The summer gave him a real-life experience he hadn’t imagined. He was also able to follow U.K. policy by listening to locals, talking to fellow students, and engaging with William & Mary and St Andrews faculty. Hawley was in his element: “I learned a lot, and I think it’s rubbed off.” Hawley had, in some ways, been preparing from a very early age. “I’ve always had a really deep interest in
STUDENT HONORS & ACHIEVEMENTS
British history,” he explains. “It began with a focus on the Revolutionary War as the elementary school curriculum embraces it, but then it really just grew. I’m a big history buff. I spend a lot of my own time reading nonfiction books on the subject.” When it came time to consider his university education, he knew what he wanted. “I knew going into the college admissions process that I wanted to study abroad in the U.K., and I was looking at St Andrews and W&M separately before I found out they were linked,” he remembers. “And I was like, ‘Well, there’s just the number one option!’” Hawley was accepted to the Joint Degree Programme and spent sophomore and junior years in Scotland, and will return to W&M for his senior year. “I think a lot of people in the Joint Degree Programme would say that St Andrews and W&M are more alike than different. Both have really engaged student bodies, similarly sized towns, and are really proud of their long histories.” Yet, he notes the approaches to education are different. “William & Mary is quite practical in its approach with policy memos and exposure to research methods in first year. St Andrews is much more theoretical. We don’t take classes on data science or geospatial analysis [at St Andrews]; it’s much more theory-driven. While theory was covered at W&M, there’s certainly a greater focus at St Andrews on exposing us to the full range of literature out there. With the Joint Programme, you get the benefit of both, which is, I think, really great.”
He found that many join the foreign service after graduate school and other experiences. “They’ve worked in the private sector, they’ve been in the Peace Corps, maybe in the military. It can be beneficial to have experience outside the foreign service before joining because it gives you a different perspective, and when you join the foreign service, you’re given more responsibility,” Hawley explains. “So, I did hear that perspective quite a bit. But then I also know about some of the State Department’s graduate programs, which could be very interesting as well.”
INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE AND PERSONAL CONNECTIONS
Hawley understands the unique opportunity afforded him by the Harriman Fellowship. “I would like to thank all those that support the Harriman Fellowship, both financially and administratively. It really is a fantastic way to honor Ms. Pamela Harriman’s legacy and commitment to civil service and all that she did, but it also supports students who are doing this unpaid internship with the State Department,” Hawley says. “It is truly an investment in the future.” The Harriman Fellowship enabled him to have a unique experience in an embassy and even enabled a new William & Mary connection: Hawley’s direct supervisor was Nabil Flowers. “Mr. Flowers actually studied at W&M, which was a fun coincidence!” Flowers ‘12 serves in the U.S. Embassy London’s Economic Section and is the lead on the digital economy, data privacy, competition policy, intellectual property, and telecommunications policy portfolio. Hawley found that perhaps the greatest benefit of the Fellowship was what he learned from public servants during “the more informal conversations about how they got to where they are, what they studied, learning about why they entered the foreign service, what motivates them to stay in.”
Whatever the path to the diplomatic service, Hawley has gained profound respect for the profession and the commitment of the people: “As talented individuals, you know they have the option to go elsewhere.” “I think the work that you do in the foreign service is both fascinating and truly important. It was an exciting time to be in London and just an awesome learning experience.” Ambassador Harriman would be proud.
Opposite: Hawley at St Andrews Above: Hawley at the Palace of Westminster/Houses of Parliament. Courtesy photos
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A Harriman Fellowship sends a William & Mary student to the intersection of English, government and national security BY KATE HOVING
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aige Groome ’22 government major and English minor, thought she had her 2021 summer all set. “The original plan was to try to work in the U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway.” For an International Security class with Amy Oakes, University Associate Professor for Teaching Excellence and Director, International Relations Program, she had written a memo about the Arctic Council, an international forum which is based in Norway. “It was about the race to secure the Arctic, and how Russia and China and the U.S. are all grappling with it. I’ve been really excited about that kind of Scandinavian politics.” Her next step on the path to Norway had been summer 2020, when she had worked at the CoronaNet Research Project, a global organization that compiles a database on government responses to the coronavirus. CoronaNet followed government policy regarding COVID-19 so adjustments, such as quarantine mandates and other policy protocols could be tracked and recorded. Groome was one of two international research assistants assigned to Norway, which only added to her interest in Norwegian politics and international affairs. “I got to read Norwegian newspapers with Google Translate, and there was also a lot of English information available, and it was really fascinating.” But COVID-19, which gave her an opportunity to learn more about Norway, was the thing that upended her plan for an in-person internship in Oslo in summer 2021. Like all good foreign service officers, she responded to the disruption with flexibility and an open mind, and was able to transition to a virtual internship at the U.S. State Department in D.C. Having accepted the position with the State Department, she became eligible to apply to the Pamela Harriman Foreign Service Fellowship. The process is very competitive, but she decided to apply and was accepted as the sole recipient of a fellowship to the U.S. State Department in D.C. “Honestly, I had a lot of fun with the interview process,” she recalls. “I was talking to former ambassadors and career State Department folks who were really enthusiastic.” She also was able to learn about Ambassador Pamela Harriman, in whose name the fellowships were
established. “I really appreciated how she was so focused on encouraging the younger generations and interested in supporting and motivating them to launch a career as a public servant.” A VIRTUAL DETOUR
“I didn’t really know what to expect. I was just going in, excited to be connected with the State Department and hoping to get a personal view of work in the foreign service.” But what she actually got was so much more. “It was definitely a little bit of an adjustment [being virtual], but I had a great supervisor and a team that was really interested in getting to know me as an intern and was really supportive.” Groome was a virtual intern at the Global Engagement Center (GEC), which is responsible for protecting the U.S. from foreign disinformation and propaganda More specifically, she was working for the Technology Engagement Team at the GEC. The Technology Engagement Team is responsible for assessing technologies that could help with gaps in the disinformation space so they team up with foreign partners, the private sector and academia to assess and compile information on challenges that different groups are having with foreign disinformation and propaganda and to help alleviate those concerns. “One of my projects was to research 5G/6G and virtual reality. I looked at deepfakes with regard to entertainment apps. I was also able to attend what we called Tech Demos, which is where companies would come in and pitch their technologies that they thought could help alleviate some of the challenges of disinformation and propaganda. I was responsible for attending those meetings and writing up the reports.” She was using her communication and research skills in a new, unexpected way. “This was a totally new realm of international security for me, which was very exciting. As someone who enjoys English classes and really loves the English department Opposite: Groome during her interview in the Reves Room. Courtesy David Williard.
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here, I was excited to get to tap into disinformation and propaganda. “It’s really fascinating to see the kinds of themes and how disinformation was shared and what was actually convincing--what caught people’s attention more than others. It’s really interesting to draw from my interest in literature to analyze how [foreign agents] are conveying information.” Working in an area that was new to her, she was finding that she was able to combine her interests: government theory, international interaction, communication strategies and how people talk to each other. She also got some unexpected writing coaching. “I got trained in government style writing which is a little bit different from other writing I’ve done before. It’s very to the point. It’s who did what, where, when. Very similar to journalistic writing.” She compares the process to imagining you’re handing someone a memo as they’re walking to the elevator, when they’re about to go into a meeting. “How do you get them the information as quickly as possible in such a way that they can either defend a policy or hold their own in a discussion?” It was not her usual style, but she worked hard to hone this new communication skill. “I’m a little bit wordy naturally, but my supervisor was great at helping me parse out what was most important to convey. I had a lot of practice of getting to the point.” CAREER OPTIONS AND CONSIDERATIONS
In addition to her research and writing work, Groome was getting that personal exposure to the foreign service she had hoped for, in spite of the remote setup. She had one-on-one meetings with career state department people, learning about opportunities in various spheres in the foreign service. “Even online, there’s still a lot of communication and teamwork, and it was exciting to be able to launch into that, even though I was at my desk at home.” One thing she valued most about her internship at State was being able to talk with people who had taken a lot of different paths to get there. I was able to talk to a couple of foreign service officers while I was there. Everyone was very encouraging, telling me, ‘Go find what you’re interested in.’” She also learned that the foreign service is more than just a job. “I appreciated how candid they were about how [a foreign service job] impacts a family dynamic.” Getting a fuller picture of life in the foreign service has not discouraged her, though. Groome approaches the option with her characteristic optimism and analytic eye. “I think it’s something that I’m excited to explore. There are a lot of moving parts to becoming a foreign service officer. I know that there’s a lot more for me to learn. It’s a 10- to 20-year plan I think, for sure.” Tapping into the Harriman and W&M alumni support network
Groome’s meaningful interaction with the Harriman Fellowship Advisory Board extended beyond the positive interview experience. “I really appreciated the support I had from the Harriman Board. They checked in with me throughout the summer, and I would send updates on what I was doing.” THE CONNECTION WAS MORE THAN FINANCIAL
“The stipend that they gave was very generous. But the Harriman Board also made me feel validated, encouraged and supported.” Groome added the State Department internship to her LinkedIn page, and she has been delighted by the W&M alumni who have reached out to congratulate her and offer to connect and share information and experiences. She is also now able to share her experiences with current students. “It’s nice being able to see both sides. The alum reached out to me, and I was able to reach back to people who were still in my position, trying to figure things out. That’s really what drew me to William Mary in the first place. That kind of community is so genuine. There isn’t any kind of strategy behind it. This is what William & Mary has given me and I’d like to continue the tradition of being a supportive alum.”
Top: Groome’s 2020 Winter Seminar class went to talk with The Nuclear Threat Initiative, a non-profit global security organization in D.C. (Courtesy photo)
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W&M iGEM 2021: Team members are, standing, from left — Pinar Caglayan, Matthew Dennen, Caroline David, Alana Thomas, Julia Drennan, Ubaid Kazianga, Justin Berg and Linda Ma. Sitting, from left — Margaret Saha, Beteel Abu-Ageel, Avery Bradley and Mainak Patel. Courtesy photo.
W&M team returns from iGEM competition bearing honors
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BY JOE MCCLAIN
illiam & Mary’s undergraduate iGEM team won a Gold Medal and was nominated for a major award at the iGEM Giant Jamboree, the annual conference and award ceremony of the International Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) Foundation.
The William & Mary team joined some 6,000 participants from around the world in this year’s competition. The university has a history of iGEM achievement. A William & Mary team won the iGEM Grand Prize in 2015 and was first runner-up in 2017. This year’s William & Mary iGEM project also drew considerable praise from the judges at the Giant Jamboree. One judge said, “I would like to recognize yours as one of the most challenging projects I saw this year.” A second judge weighed in, “I want to say this was a fantastic topic for a project and commend you all for trying to address this fundamental issue in the field.” The leaders of the 2021 team are Avery Bradley ’23 and Beteel Abu-Ageel ’22, both biology majors, plus Bradley has a minor in CAMS — computational & applied mathematics & statistics. Both are iGEM veterans: it’s Bradley’s second competition and Abu-Ageel’s third.
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“It’s an opportunity for a group of undergraduates to design their own research project and present that project to others from all over the world.” Bradley said. “As the field of synthetic biology really grew from iGEM, it’s amazing to think that I, as an undergraduate, could be part of this process and be at the forefront of a new field.” The competition has been dubbed the World Cup of Science. Teams spend months brainstorming project ideas, researching and creating their project, which typically involves construction of complex genetic circuits along with extensive mathematical modeling. Circuits are created using a set of genetic parts — each of which is a sequence of DNA that encodes for RNA or proteins with specific functions. “A genetic circuit is a construct made of DNA that can be used to engineer organisms and provide them with new functions,” Abu-Ageel said. Synthetic biology is interdisciplinary by nature, and the 2021 William & Mary iGEM team reflects this. Other team members and their fields of concentration are Justin Berg ’24, undeclared major; Pinar Banu Caglayan ’23, neuroscience major, CAMS minor; KC David ’22, neuroscience major, CAMS minor; Matt Dennen ’22, biology major, CAMS minor, chemistry minor; Julia Drennan ‘24, biology and psychology major; Ubaid Kazianga ’23,
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physics major; Linda Ma ’22, applied mathematics and CAMS major; Alana Thomas ’24, biology major. Faculty advisors included Margaret Saha, Chancellor Professor of Biology, who served as the lead PI of the team, and Mainak Patel, associate professor of mathematics who served as advisor for the mathematical modeling aspects of the project. The 10-member William & Mary team spent countless hours and the better part of a year on their project, titled “Orthogonality.” In the context of synthetic biology, orthogonality is a term used to describe a genetic circuit that has no unintended interactions among its individual parts and with its host cell. Orthogonality is a guiding principle of synthetic biology. The team leaders note that without a proper understanding of these unintended interactions, one cannot ensure the safety of implementing a circuit in the real world. “Many synthetic biology applications involve introducing exogenous DNA into a host cell. Often, in some way, you’re altering the organism’s genetic material,” Abu-Ageel explained. “Unintended interactions between genetic circuits and the host can potentially have negative effects, not only on the functionality or efficiency of circuits, but also on the functionality of the host itself, and therefore on the environment in which it was designed to be placed.” Despite the importance of orthogonality to synthetic biology, Bradley and Abu-Ageel say the concept is underassessed in scientific literature. The result is that genetic circuits are often assumed to be orthogonal without being tested. One goal of the W&M iGEM project this year, they explained, is to raise awareness about the lack of circuit-host orthogonality assessment within the field of synthetic biology. A second goal was to engineer a new, widely accessible way for synthetic biologists to quantify circuit-host orthogonality. “Some of the current ways being used to measure orthogonality, such as RNA-sequencing, are very expensive, preventing most researchers from assessing the orthogonality of their circuits,” Bradley said. She explained that their team designed a system of “sensor” circuits that can measure the orthogonality of circuits at a lower cost than existing assessment methods. These “sensor” circuits are able to quantify various aspects of a circuit’s orthogonality with the host, such as consumption of host resources and production of orthogonality markers. The measurements taken by these sensors can then be input into two mathematical models, which produce an orthogonality assessment for a particular circuit. “To assess orthogonality using our project, iGEM teams and synthetic biologists can introduce one of our sensor circuits into a bacterial population. Our sensor circuit will then produce a fluorescence output which can be quantified using an instrument known as a plate reader,” Bradley said. “They can then take another bacterial population, and introduce our sensor circuit along
with an additional ‘test’ circuit, whose orthogonality is being measured.” She went on to explain that comparison of the fluorescence levels produced by the two populations can determine the impact of the test circuit on host functionality. “These fluorescence outputs can then be converted into the number of fluorescent molecules being produced and plugged into two models designed by our team to produce an orthogonality assessment for that test circuit,” she said. The team presented their project to a panel of judges at the iGEM Giant Jamboree. Their work on orthogonality was well received. It was one of four undergraduate projects nominated for one of iGEM’s Track Awards: Best Foundational Advance Project. “Foundational Advance projects strive to improve the field itself by addressing technical problems, rather than addressing real world problems directly,” AbuAgeel explained. “However, orthogonality assessment is critical to the implementation of all other synthetic biology applications, especially those that are addressing real-world problems directly.” The two veteran iGEMers had high praise for their team, which put an immense number of hours into their project. “Everyone was really passionate about the field of synthetic biology, especially when we were brainstorming what to do for our project,” Bradley said. “With the range of synthetic biology applications being so vast, it was difficult for our team to decide on just one project idea. Everybody came in with ideas and we were able to build off of each other, creating this year’s project.” Saha, who has advised the William & Mary iGEM team from its first iGEM competition in 2014, concurred. “I was so pleased that the team was willing to tackle an extremely challenging and difficult project, one that required developing multidisciplinary expertise,” she said. “The team did a fantastic job with the project, and this was recognized by our nomination in the Foundational Advance track. I am so impressed with the team and their accomplishments.”
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Fulbright Scholar Lavare Henry Ph.D. ’24 fosters international exchange of ideas BY STEPHANIE MCGUIRE PH.D. ‘23
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ringing his ideas from back home, Lavare Henry Ph.D. ’24 is sparking intellectual dialogue amongst colleagues and peers in the School of Education’s Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership (EPPL) classes. Here as a Fulbright Scholar from Jamaica, Henry is in his second year of the EPPL in K-12 Administration Ph.D. Program. Prior to coming to William & Mary, Henry served 20 years as an educator in Jamaica. He has served as a teacher and assistant principal, worked at a community college and done adjunct work at a university. He has a master’s degree in computer science from the University of the West Indies in Jamaica and a master’s degree in education from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom. His dream has always been to earn his Ph.D. and it was the outreach and support he felt from first contact with his advisor that sold him on W&M. “My advisor [Dr. James Stronge, Heritage Professor of Education] reached out directly and answered my questions immediately. Being somewhere where someone will be responsive to you, especially away from home and family — this was the place to be. I knew I was going to be supported here.” He knew W&M would be a supportive environment from first contact and his experiences confirm his first impression. “Everyone is so welcoming and willing to give advice. There is a genuineness about the staff here. They want to help, and I really appreciate that.” He shared that the Holmes Scholar Program has been an excellent resource and his graduate
assistantships have given him the opportunity to see the American side of education that is alluded to in his courses. Henry is using his coursework, graduate assistantships and opportunities to pursue his research interests and passions. He acknowledges that technology being used in teaching and learning is important, so he is very interested in the support needed to make that all happen. He finds that the security of student data and school networks are taken for granted in Jamaica and he would like to find ways to give more thought to how school leaders can support technology use in their buildings. He is also concerned about at-risk students in his country, particularly atrisk, inner-city boys. Henry is trying to find ways for his country’s educational system to support these students so they do not fall behind. Henry notes that girls are outperforming boys, and he wants to make sure no gender is left behind. Henry is using his class assignments to run research studies and prepare policies that address these issues.
Just as much as Henry is enriching W&M with his perspective and experiences from Jamaica, he hopes to enrich his home country when he returns after graduation. He plans to use his assignments and dissertation as action plans that will positively impact at-risk students and address educational technology concerns in Jamaica. “I know I have a big responsibility being on scholarship as a Fulbright Scholar. There is an expectation to make your country better. So I want to build a plan of action that will honor the opportunity I have received by being here.”
Lavare Henr y Ph.D. ‘ 24 Cour te sy photo
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RESEARCH
Lasisi is going to Dumbarton Oaks, to research the ‘Landscape of Power’ of Ijebu-Ode BY JOSEPH MCCLAIN
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he royal palace at Ijebu-Ode was the center of economic, political and ritual life in the great Ijebu kingdom for a millennium, maybe more.
Olanrewaju Lasisi explains that the palace was not only the metaphorical center, but also the literal center of the kingdom. “The capital of the Ijebu kingdom is located at the geographical center —the exact center — of the kingdom,” Lasisi explained. “Now, that center also has another wall, another enclosure surrounding the center. So now we are talking about concentric walls, the large one, and then another one in the center.” Lasisi is a Ph.D. candidate in William & Mary’s Department of Anthropology. He has done extensive field work and scholarship on the history, archaeology and oral traditions of the Ijebu kingdom, a realm that dominated a great portion of what is now Nigeria until 1888. He recently was awarded a Junior Fellowship in Garden and Landscape Studies by Dumbarton Oaks, a research institute connected with Harvard University. Through the fellowship, Lasisi will be in residence at Dumbarton Oaks, using their library and other resources to focus on his dissertation research, “Landscapes of Power: A Historical Archaeology of Ijebu-Yoruba Palatial Urbanscape, AD 1000-1900.” Lasisi’s “landscape of power” refers specifically to the ancient royal palace at the kingdom’s capital. His research encompasses not just the gardens associated with the palace landscape, but the entirety of the Ijebu concentric circles. He notes that the outer wall-ditch complex, known as Sungbo Eredo, is nearly 100 miles in circumference. Lasisi said Sungbo Eredo could well be the longest single earthwork in the world. Ijebu is an ancient place — Sungbo Eredo was built in the late fourteenth or early 15th century. Lasisi said the first mention of it by a European came from the Portuguese explorer Pacheco Pereira who visited the region in the 15th century. In its heyday, the kingdom was a major player in the Atlantic mercantile world, trading slaves and a valuable kind of cloth and other goods. But, Lasisi said, some remnants of the indigenous practices are still being practiced to this day, but most of the knowledge of the connection has been lost. People still live there, and Ijebu still has a monarch, known as the Awujale. Lasisi’s goal is to determine which polity over the centuries was responsible for development of the various features of Ijebu. He can draw his data not only from
the archaeological remains, but also from the few practices that have continued through the ages. “For example, one of them is an annual festival called the Agemo,” he explained. “It is about the inner and outer world.” The inner world, of course is Ijebu-Ode, the capital. Between the inner wall and the outer wall are 16 towns. Lasisi said that each town sends a priestly representative to Ijebu-Ode to celebrate Agemo. “Basically, they’re paying tribute to the king. So, each year they march down to the palace complex, crossing the inner wall, to pray with the king,” Lasisi said. Lasisi points out that Agemo is just one such ritual festival held on the ancient palace grounds, the “landscape of power” that is the object of his research. “The new palace is somewhere else,” he said. He explained that the Ijebu society has traditionally included astronomical aspects in their rituals and practices — the traditional palace complex faces true east, to catch the rising sun. His archaeology has uncovered interesting connections between the past and present. For instance, Lasisi’s archaeology at the palace courtyard has uncovered examples of ceramic pavement. Some are decorative and representative, but one has a stunning connection to a current ritual practice. “It’s a kind of a sundial,” he explained. “One segment is facing the direction of the sun, with a V-shape and many little triangles.”
Olanrewaju Lasisi. Photo by S tephen Salpukas
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Knowing the Ijebu traditional incorporation of celestial phenomena into ritual practices, Lasisi took a compass to the sundial pavement. “I found out that it follows the sun from one equinox to the other,” he said. “It is so perfectly organized. On March 21 and September 21-24, you see the alignment with the solstice, which coincides with the Obinrin Ojowu festival, and then in June 21, you see the equinox that coincides with the launching of the Agemo festival. All right there on a pavement in the floor.” The sundial pavement had long been covered over, but the priests of the Ijebu people understood the significance of the space in that portion of the palace complex.
Lasisi said each year, the Obinrin Ojowu priests conduct a ritual that involved a solar observation. “And they set up the Obinrin Ojowu deity as a gnomon right on the part of the V-shaped pavement that casts the shadow, right over or very near to where I uncovered that sundial,” Lasisi said. “They had no idea that there is a pavement underneath, but they’ve been doing that since time immemorial. This is just one of the examples of a continued tradition with a lost understanding of the dynamics of the practices.”
Zou finds Chinese entrepreneurs are loving the ‘ziyou’ they find in Ghana BY JOSEPH MCCLAIN
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Ghana.
he Chinese word for freedom is ziyou, and it’s a term that Yijie Zou heard quite often among the entrepreneurial community of Chinese expatriates in
“I found it extremely interesting,” Zou said. “They experience Ghana as a land of freedom.” Zou is a Ph.D. student in William & Mary’s Department of Anthropology. He is planning a return to the west African country to continue observing the interaction of the Chinese community and native Ghanaians. His return to Ghana is supported by a Dissertation Fieldwork Grant from the Wenner-Gren Foundation. Zou and his contacts at Wenner-Gren agreed that he can continue his work remotely, until the Covid-19 situation in Ghana becomes more settled. Zou did some pilot research in both Ghana and China in 2018 and 2019 on the Chinese entrepreneurial community. “This is a modern phenomenon,” Zou explains. “It’s mostly from the second half of the 20th century that a Chinese-speaking population, mostly from Hong Kong or Taiwan, migrate to Ghana looking for business opportunity.” Today, the expatriate community in Ghana occupy every rung of the entrepreneurial ladder, from massive infrastructure construction projects and mineral extraction down to retail shops in the local markets. But Zou says that from boardroom to convenience store, the Chinese he interviewed place ziyou at the top of the list of things they like about their life in Ghana. “They have more time at their disposal; they can do whatever they want,” he said. Ziyou in Ghana meant not
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only more free time for leisure, but also more time to devote to various business ideas. The concept also meant freedom from the governmental oversight, interference and regulations that chafed at Chinese entrepreneurs back home. “It’s very flexible in Ghana,” he said. “They can do a lot of startup projects, compared with working in China. The payment is good in China, but sometimes you have to work a fixed amount of time for the company.” Zou’s dissertation is plumbing the social organization of the Chinese entrepreneurial community in Ghana: “How they perceive the environment in Ghana, how they cope with it. Their strategies, including how they organize themselves and the economic strategies they adopt to accommodate themselves within the context of Ghana.” Zou said one of his foci is on the contrast between “Chinese time” and “Ghanaian time.” The social dynamics that emerge when Chinese time meets Ghanaian time are of particular interest in an ethnographic investigation. In his proposal to Wenner-Gren, Zou reported that his pilot work among the expat entrepreneurs revealed that “the Chinese speed of flexible accumulation, the slow motion of African time, and low consumption expenditure in Ghana allow them to keep their labor investment-leisure time ratio at a satisfactory level, compared with the grueling work in China.” “A lot of the entrepreneurs believe that they are the avatars of ‘Chinese speed’ in Africa, that they truly represent the efficient business practice of China,” he said. “They may be workaholics, but on the other hand, the African works diligently at his daily life.”
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Zou says that he believes his ethnographic research “from the inside” will reveal complexities about the relationship between the Chinese entrepreneurs and the native Ghanaians that are usually overlooked by the international media. He said that headlines usually concentrate on conflict, such as the 2015 direct-action campaign against some of the Chinese gold miners by Ghanaians. But Zou says it’s a mistake to judge the relationship of the two groups by violent outbreaks, even protests that culminate on raids on mining operation and impounding and burning equipment. “I like to use the word ‘friction,’” he said. “Because friction is kind of an intermediate zone between head-on clash and total harmony.” At the basis of the relationship is a kind of national fellow-feeling among the two groups. Zou noted that both Ghana and China have a socialist basis and Ghanaians perceive that China was, not long ago, a relatively poor country that worked its way to prosperity. But the relationship gets complicated quickly. “So, in Ghana they say, ‘They’re kind of like us,” Zou said. “But how can they become so rich here? And why are they taking our resources?”
Comparison of COVID-19 response in 113 countries finds poorer nations most harmed by lockdown approach BY MARTHA REILLY, GRI
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As the Covid-19 pandemic took hold of the world last spring, many nations enacted similar lockdown policies intended to restrict movement and halt transmission—yet some countries fared far better than others. Newly published research, led by William & Mary undergraduate Morgan Pincombe ‘21, analyzes public health disparities among 113 countries in the wake of the pandemic. The findings indicate that failure to account for different economic realities led to contextually inappropriate policy responses that “may exacerbate poverty and cause unnecessary death.” The study involved an analysis of mobility, morbidity, and mortality growth rates across the World Bank’s income group classifications, which revealed that a onesize-fits-all approach to public health policy can have detrimental consequences for low-income countries. Above: Yijie Zou. Photo by Kana Harada
“I wondered if there was a way we could look at emergency response and critique it, so that in the future, we could have some kind of feedback or advice on how to respond to public health emergencies,” Pincombe said. “When we give these international guidelines of ‘It’s effective to respond to a public health emergency by putting in these policies,’ are we really speaking to an audience that’s more high-income, upper-middle income, or is that advice relevant for all countries?” Even as she was stuck indoors in the United States, international relations and public health major Pincombe couldn’t help but look outward, questioning how the effectiveness of these sweeping rules might differ around the world. She worked with Carrie Dolan, Director of Ignite at the Global Research Institute and assistant professor of public health at William & Mary, to understand how epidemiological results of containment and closure measures varied across 113 countries. The pair’s research, which is FALL 2021
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high-quality product. The reason novel in its consideration of income that I was willing to take this on level as a factor of Covid-19 out“What this work really was that I knew that even though comes, earned publication in Health Morgan had a lot to learn, she Policy and Planning, a premier sciendoes is highlight the would show up and be committed tific journal. importance of taking a and work hard to do the next steps, As Pincombe brainstormed how so that we would ultimately have a she might use her grant as a James minute and figuring out successful project.” Monroe Scholar to produce meanhow these policies might Pincombe’s training prepared ingful research, unprecedented cirher to account for vast amounts of cumstances both sparked curiosihave worked better if data in the study, studying the efty and cast a sense of responsibility. we didn’t roll them out fectiveness of movement restricOnce Pincombe identified a few artions and lockdowns in three difeas of interest, she sought out menas a one-size-fits-all ferent ways: mobility, number of torship from Dolan, whose approach approach,” Dolan said. cases, and mortality. to research she admired based on “Google had these really cool past experiences. “When thinking about mobility reports that had anony“I had taken her epidemiology policies, you have to mous data from cell phones and class during my freshman year and really loved the content and also realthink about the audience tracked people’s movement and compared it to the baseline from ly loved working with her,” Pincombe and their ability to pre-pandemic,” she said. “We used said. “She was my research advisor that to measure, when lockdown there, so when I had this opportunity, implement what you’re policies were put into place, did I was like ‘Hey, can I work with you suggesting.” people move less, or did they move again?’” more towards certain things, such Dolan helped her to specify a polias grocery stores and pharmacies?” cy-relevant topic with global implicaThe results demonstrated that approaches of containtions, encouraging her to develop the work into a journal article instead of the paper she had originally planned. ment and closure were more effective in high-income In her role on William & Mary’s Public Health Advisory countries than in low-income ones, further suggesting Team, and through her work on other pandemic-related that when guidance fails to account for contextual details research, Dolan said she knew these quantitative insights — such as economic status — it may exacerbate poverty and death. were missing from the policy dialogue. “What this work really does is highlight the importance “I think examining the contextual details has been left out of the policy implementation and mitigation mea- of taking a minute and figuring out how these policies sures we have come up with during the pandemic,” Dolan might have worked better if we didn’t roll them out as a said. “There are a couple of broad, overarching strategies one-size-fits-all approach,” Dolan said. “When thinking — masking, social distancing, and limiting your mobility about policies, you have to think about the audience and — and then those were rolled out across the world with- their ability to implement what you’re suggesting.” In some ways, the results confirmed what Dolan and out considering how they could be implemented more efPincombe hypothesized, but in other ways, the data chalfectively in some contexts versus others.” Though the volume of such a task seemed heavy, Dolan lenged their assumptions. “When we were looking at our mortality findings, we also felt excited by the potential to cultivate Pincombe’s would have expected a larger magnitude of difference beskillset and produce meaningful research. “When Morgan came to me with this idea, there was tween the death rates for each income classification, but hardly any data out there,” Dolan said. “I wasn’t sure how we see in death, it’s almost identical for each of the inwe were going to combine it all together. It seemed like an come categories,” Dolan said. “I don’t think this is drivenormous amount of work, but she was willing to put the en by inadequate surveillance or low testing. Instead, I time and effort in, and it’s important, so I was willing to think it’s partly a reflection of the fact that in these resource-constrained countries, these lower-income counmentor Morgan in order to make it happen.” To interpret and understand the results of this project, tries, they tend to report lower mortality overall than the Pincombe first needed to learn how to build an economet- global trend because of other factors such as the weather, ric model and use Stata, a statistical software program, the younger population, and less chronic disease. These Pincombe relied on guidance and expertise from Dolan factors have contributed to fewer cases of Covid-19 and and from economics professors Jen Mellor and Ariel therefore less deaths.” Adapting to unforeseen circumstances and allowBenYishay, but she also sought out external resources. “She’s very motivated and a self-starter,” Dolan said. ing the data to surprise her, Pincombe said, cultivated “I knew that she would work hard to create a good, personal and professional growth that she can apply to 34
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future work experiences — which she hopes take place in the policy arena. “That’s the research process,” Pincombe said. “As you learn more, as you’re exposed to new information, that changes and shapes the work that you’re doing. Oftentimes, that pushes you to revisit the work, and that creates a better project.” As Pincombe applies these lessons to her future research endeavors, she will remember the expert mentorship, academic guidance, and peer support that Dolan and the campus community offered her. “When you’re an undergraduate, it can feel like you have no right to ask people to help you out, but I was very surprised at how willing people were,” Pincombe said. “Take advantage of the expertise and the people you have within your network or that you can reach out to.” As William & Mary encourages students to pursue thought-provoking, transformative research, Dolan said, it ensures that Pincombe’s story of success is not isolated. “William & Mary creates an environment and a framework where this kind of work is valued and is possible to do, which is incredibly important to highlight,” Dolan said. “I think our undergrads can be a real catalyst for interesting questions. Sometimes my research assistants push me to think outside the box of what’s possible because they’re less constrained in terms of how to do it.” [Note: After graduation, Pincombe joined the Center for Global Development (CGD) where she is a program coordinator with CGD’s Global Health Policy team.]
Above: Morgan Pincombe; Below: Carrie Dolan. Courtesy photos
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W&M business professor discusses new book on Community, Economy and COVID-19 BY JEFFREY RICH, RAYMOND A. MASON SCHOOL OF BUSINESS With Raymond A. Mason School of Business J. S. Mack Professor Don Rahtz’s new book Community, Economy, and COVID-19: Lessons from Multi-Country Analyses of a Global Pandemic, co-authored by Clifford Shultz and Joseph Sirgy, about to hit the bookshelves, Mason’s Chief Marketing Officer Jeffrey Rich sat down with Rahtz to find out what his new book is all about. The full interview is available in a video on youtube. WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO WRITE THIS BOOK AT THIS TIME? It’s an interesting backstory from an experience getting ready to fly back from Asia in January of 2020 when all of a sudden, flights were starting to be canceled. The next thing I knew, I had to be rerouted up through Tokyo and finally got in on one of the later flights that came into the U.S. before everything got shut down. As it turns out, COVID was making its way through the system, and they pretty much shut down entry into the U.S. Not too long after I made it back, my colleagues and I, Cliff Schultz and Joe Sirgy, started to think about the impact this would have on countries worldwide, on markets, and just the whole system. We knew then the research we had been doing for some time on macro marketing systems and how things interface would undoubtedly be impacted. We also knew then there would be a lot of societal elements and quality of life issues that would be impacted as well. So we started to really think about what COVID will be doing to these systems worldwide, not just to our systems here in the U.S. That became the genesis of this book, “Community, Economy, and COVID-19: Lessons from Multi-Country Analyses of a Global Pandemic.” DID YOU SENSE ON THAT FLIGHT WHEN THIS WAS HAPPENING THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE AS BIG AND LAST AS LONG IT DID? Not really. We didn’t understand the true global impact until we got back. I’ve witnessed other outbreaks, and nothing prepared me for what this would become, and I haven’t been on a global flight since that day. It wasn’t until a few weeks later that we began to recognize this virus would impact us in historic proportion. As a student of history myself, if you go back into history, several events are really tied to pandemics and affected the global trade routes of the day. The Muslim trade routes pulled back
during the plague because they didn’t want to interact with Europe. That allowed Europe to rise into those trade routes. Meanwhile, Chinese traders said, wait a minute, we’re not going to interact with them either. So while not the interconnected global economy we have now, you can see how global trade was beginning to get disrupted, even then. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS UNIQUE AND MOST INTERESTING ABOUT THIS BOOK? The book’s real contribution is looking at and understanding the impact of the pandemic on different cultures, places and economies. As you can imagine, when you’re talking about countries from all over the world, the difficulty is how we group them together and provide some sort of systematic way to analyze things. Previously, in 2017, we had written an article in a chapter of a book on community well-being. We took our work from that 2017 article and made it the basis for this book.
Above: J. S. Mack Professor Don Rahtz. Courtesy photo
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Recently Published Books by W&M Faculty ARS ANTIQUA: MUSIC AND CULTURE IN EUROPE C. 1150-1330 By Thomas B. Payne (co-editor and contributor of a chapter to the volume), the David N. and Margaret C. Bottoms Professor of Music
This volume presents new contributions that address the principal polyphonic musical genres of the late twelfth and thirteenth centuries (organum, motet, conductus). It also treats vernacular and monophonic songs, issues of musical and poetic aesthetics, manuscript tradition and production, authorship, liturgical practices, the continuance of “ars antiqua” ideas well into the fourteenth-century era of the “ars nova,” and the role that information technologies may play in future “ars antiqua” scholarship. Published by Brepols Publishers in Turnhout, Belgium. More information
THE ART OF USELESS: FASHION, MEDIA, AND CONSUMER CULTURE IN CONTEMPORARY CHINA By Calvin Hui, Associate Professor of Chinese Studies (Class of 1952 Associate Professor of Chinese Studies)
Since embarking on economic reforms in 1978, the People’s Republic of China has also undergone a sweeping cultural reorganization, from proletarian culture under Mao to middle-class consumer culture today. Under these circumstances, how has a Chinese middle class come into being, and how has consumerism become the dominant ideology of an avowedly socialist country? The Art of Useless offers an innovative way to understand China’s unprecedented political-economic, social and cultural transformations, showing how consumer culture helps anticipate, produce and shape a new middle-class subjectivity. Published by Columbia University Press. More information
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Alumnus Abroad A Q&A WITH HO-SEUNG LEE ‘95 Ho-Seung Lee, Programme Management Officer for the Asia and Pacific Region at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Where were you born? What do you consider your hometown? I was made in Korea but manufactured in Sydney, Australia. My mother was pregnant before she flew to Australia. Home, in my interpretation, is where I grew up. There are two for me. One is Thailand, where I grew up as a kid in elementary school with childhood memories of running around and eating look chin. The other is Korea, because I am Korean, and importantly my middle and high school years as well as my years after college in Graduate School and my first working years were all in Korea. I would consider Seoul as my hometown. My base camp is my favorite rice cake (tteokbokki) place I go to in Dongbu Ichondong named Smile Tteokbokki. That is the first place I go to once I touch down at home in Seoul. Where is home for you now? I live in Vienna, Austria, and have been since 2002. My home looks out over the historic Danube River that flows through Vienna, Budapest and eventually Belgrade. The water and air in Vienna are second to none in the world! Why did you choose to attend William & Mary? I was a transfer student, and in my opinion, I was lucky to get into William & Mary. I believe my sister (Soyoung Lee ’92) being a good student there helped pave the way for me. As I was not such a diligent student in high school, I worked hard to at least try to upgrade my profile during my early college years, so I could
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have a chance to transfer to a better school like William & Mary. I was lucky to be accepted to the royally chartered university. What was your major at W&M? I majored in International Relations (Theory). Being influenced by my father, who worked in promoting Korean trade as well as for the UN for international marketing and trade, from a young age, I wanted a career in diplomacy or international relations, possibly with the United Nations.
living, including me. The rooms were spacious with air-conditioning!! The kitchen and showers were clean. And many friendships and memories emanate from his legacy. Tunjen Cheng, with his strong Taiwanese accent succeeded Chonghan Kim, who had been a professor at William &
Did you have a favorite course or professor while you were at W&M? It’s been a while since I graduated. But the two professors that I vividly remember are James Bill and Tunjen Cheng. James Bill was a larger-thanlife professor to me. Bill was not only the author of The Eagle and the Lion: The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations (1989), but also a teacher who taught as if we were in his living room and just talking politics, and about the way things were, and how things were not what they seemed to be. True brilliance with ease. A very deep understanding of the Middle East, and a true love for that region. How can you not learn from that kind of teacher? James Bill’s passion not only translated to the classroom. His energy spilled over to the legacy of the Reves Center for International Studies, which I believe was the initial impetus for W&M internalization efforts, not only academically, but more so communally, with Reves (International) Hall dormitory, where many students had the privilege in
Mary since 1964!! Legend succeeding legend in Asian Political Economy at William & Mary, in my opinion. Tunjen Cheng was a great teacher, willing to discuss why and how the Asian economies were so successful in the ‘80s. I can still hear him say, “We can debate about this….” A great writer as well, his works were easy to read, lucid and informative. I was able to visit him a few years back and realized how much time had passed! I always appreciated his interest in teaching us students all that he knew. He taught with such enthusiasm and inspired us to understand why Asia was such a success in that era. William & Mary made the right decisions to recruit such fine professors, who have become institutions
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themselves. Both James Bill and Tunjen Cheng represent the pinnacle of William & Mary teaching! Honorable Mention goes to Sue Peterson! After graduation and when I was in graduate school, Sue Peterson was kind enough to submit a brilliant article entitled “Representation without Taxation: US Attitudes towards the United Nations” to the journal of which I was editor, called Peace Forum, The Crisis of UN Legitimacy (1996). Did you pursue a postgraduate degree? After W&M, I decided to go to the Graduate Institute of Peace Studies at Kyung Hee University in Korea. I acquired a master’s in political science focusing my research on UN Peacekeeping. After a few years working in Vienna, Austria, I decided to initiate my pursuit of a PhD (in political science) at the Universitaet Wien. This pursuit has been ongoing for more than 10 years as I have not been good at hunkering down and finishing it. Maybe this year could be the year (or next). What are you currently doing professionally? I am a project management professional, who is currently providing some expertise in developing technical cooperation program strategies in nuclear science and technology for a few countries. I am taking this time to improve my long overdue German competencies as well. My work experience has been mainly in international organizations such as the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Do you have any current projects or passions you would like to tell us about? Not wanting to sound boring, but my passions are in the routine things we can take simple pleasures in. For example, an improving golf game, intermediate tennis, and Sunday school teaching at church. Golf is golf. You walk. You de-stress. You detox. You build friendships. Tennis is tennis, with lots of cardio and lots of love. Always doing whatever it takes to get the ball over the net and inside the lines. Tennis is the ultimate sport, and my weekly priority on Wednesdays and Sundays. Lastly, I serve as the Sunday school teacher for high school students, and this role has challenged my faith and knowledge of the Bible and of God. I try to teach in a way that can inspire them to be grateful to God. And in so doing, my personal faith has grown as a result. Trying to ensure that I practice what I preach has become so important. Also, it is important to express your love through the time and resources you are willing to spend with them. Positive routines will yield positive outcomes. Being a reliable player in sports, being a reliable teacher at church--all help in nurturing a less-stressed, healthier and more compassionate person. PS: And if I said I had a passion for fantasy sports would my ratings go down? I make it a daily habit to check the box score and see how my fantasy players performed, and importantly who I need to scavenge from waivers. FYI, my team
names are Nukes, Mosquitoes and Mongoose (smile). For my fantasy football teams I do favor players coached under classmate Mike Tomlin and alum Sean McDermott. Not too shabby. I’m proud of you guys. Do you have a favorite memory or memories of your time at W&M? I can count specific memories, like directing the William & Mary High School Model UN, and really enjoying the role of mentoring high school students to think about the broader issues and the respective positions one needs to consider when representing a delegation. Another is the initiation of the Chusok Festival, to celebrate specifically the Korean culture (as opposed to other cultures), as there was so much to share in Korean flavors, music, sports and entertainment! I take pride in being one of the founders who masterminded this yearly autumn event. I’m not sure if it continues today, but I hope so. The Taste of Asia. I remember emceeing this event with my good friend Sridevi Nanjundaram in March of 1994. The event was a smash hit compared to years before. I suddenly became more recognized in Williamsburg after that event. Daily life at Reves Hall was an amazing time. There was a nice blend of international and American students, with the common denominator our mutual interest in exchanging views and experiences. One vivid memory was the decision among the Reves boys to streak in the Sunken Gardens! I remember our congregating at Tyler Hall and being so amped up and nervous about the fact
Photos L-R: With Professor Peterson; Outside the Reves Room. Courtesy photos.
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that we were going to do it. Frankly, this was a group of international boys that probably all had nudity insecurities to boot. Nevertheless, the group muddled through, and before we knew it, we were placing our clothes on the far side of the Gardens and trotting back to assume our positions. The combination of fog and cold elevated the adrenaline and excitement. We sprinted like free men, liberated from the stresses of William & Mary academics. A shout out to my brothers Sorin and Jesus; good memories, my friends! How do you think your experience at W&M has affected your life and decisions you have made? Living in Williamsburg and being a student at the William & Mary is something anyone should be proud of. One cannot ignore history, as you walk past the Wren building and walk along the Sunken Gardens. Take pride in being part of the green and gold. The royally chartered education will help guide you to maybe not all the right decisions, but decisions which are based in honor. The honor code is the moral foundation of William & Mary. Whoever graduates from William & Mary I believe innately has that foundation of the honor code intact. Is there any advice you wish you had received or would like to share with current students? I am writing this under the assumption that one is reasonably managing his/ her academics. I wish that I had a mentor or big brother influence, who could have helped me
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see the joys of being associated in other clubs and activities. I was too lazy to go out and do more things. Even though, when others see me, they probably saw me as an active student. I regret not studying as much as I should have. Nor did I really know how to study properly. But I did think that William & Mary in my years, was unnecessarily too cut-throat. Learning didn’t need to be like that. But I think it had to do more with my inadequacies as a student.
the ‘hegemonic stability’ attitude that makes the world view Americo-centric. The world is vast. Perspectives and opinions are diverse. And in order to contribute to making this world a better place, we need more compassion and understanding of others, so we all can grow together. An international experience initiated at the collegiate level will broaden that vision at an early stage, combined with an education that you would never be able to get at any other time.
Although I focused my passions on select projects that I enjoyed, I could have been more diligent about going to church on Sundays. I could have been more courageous in relationships. I should have taken full advantage of the possibilities that college had to offer.
Anything else you would like to add or tell us? Wisdom and Action Harmonized as One.
One of my regrets is that I should have taken the chance to go to China. At the very minimum, my Chinese fluency would be so much better than it is today.
This is my motto in life. Please be people who walk the talk. Take action.
To current students: Go out and explore, and make new relationships, and never fear learning. Be diligent in the activities that matter to you. Regularity is the strongest indicator of your commitment of being a better person in what you are doing. Do you think international experience as a student is helpful in future life and career? Absolutely. Even though the USA is still the most powerful country in the world, one needs to graduate from
Implement. Lip-service is cheap. Be persons of integrity and make that royally chartered William & Mary education mean something. Be an honorable person, and God will bless you.
Photos L-R; At Namdaemun, the “Great South Gate” in Seoul, Korea ; At the Office of the Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, Dec. 2014 (L to R) Director General Dr. Khin Maung Latt, Ho-Seung Lee, HE Minister of Science and Technology of the Union of Myanmar Dr. Ko Ko Oo, Deputy Director General Dr. Lei Lei Oo, Deputy Director General Dr. Theingi Maung Maung. Courtesy photos.
W&M IN THE WORLD
Global Engagement
The Reves Center for International Studies promotes and sustains global connections and initiatives involving students, faculty and staff across William & Mary, by: •
Sponsoring and funding internationally-themed lectures, conferences, and forums;
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Providing expert guidance for administrative support of W&M’s global events, projects, and activities; and
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Forging robust links between W&M and the world.
Your Gift Matters. With your support, our university will continue to be a leader among global universities. To learn about ways you can support international initiatives at William & Mary, contact Kate Barney, kabarney@wm.edu.
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FACEBOOK.COM/INTERNATIONALWM @ INTERNATIONALWM
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REVES CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDIES @ INTERNATIONALWM WMREVESCENTER
STUDY ABROAD PROGRAMS offered by the GLOBAL EDUCATION OFFICE (GEO) Summer Faculty-Led Programs Australia: Adelaide Bhutan: Taktse Brazil: Rio de Janeiro China: Beijing Czech Republic: Prague England: Cambridge France: Montpellier France: Nantes Germany: Potsdam Greece: Athens/Nafplio India: Bengaluru/Goa Ireland: Galway Italy: Florence Italy: Rome/Pompeii Russia: Saint Petersburg Scotland: St Andrews South Africa: Cape Town Spain: Cádiz Spain: Santiago de Compostela
Winter Programs Geneva, Switzerland (‘21) La Plata, Argentina (‘21)
W&M-Sponsored Semester Programs
Argentina: Universidad Nacional de La Plata England: Hertford College, University of Oxford Spain: Universidad Pablo de Olavide
Embedded Programs
San Salvador, Bahamas (spring ‘22) Gibraltar (spring ‘22)
Undergraduate Exchange Programs Australia: University of Adelaide Austria: Vienna University of Economics & Business Canada: McGill University China: Tsinghua University England: University of Exeter England: University of Nottingham France: L’institut d’Études Politiques de Lille France: Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier III Japan: Akita International University Japan: Keio University Netherlands: Leiden University Scotland: University of St Andrews Singapore: National University of Singapore South Korea: Yonsei University Wales: Cardiff University
WWW.WM.EDU/STUDYABROAD Program offerings vary each year.