The Center for Languages and Intercultural Communication (CLIC) celebrated a $70,000 award from the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The ceremony took place on Tuesday, December 5, where students from CLIC's Chinese language program, the primary beneficiaries of the award, actively participated.
The award will be used to support various initiatives, with the greatest portion providing travel awards for students studying in Taiwan. Other funded projects include the creation of a resource for teaching traditional Chinese characters, funding for the development of courses on Chinese society and culture, and support for campus cultural activities.
During the ceremony, Dr. Meng Yeh, a Teaching Professor of Chinese, invited students to share their experiences of studying in Taiwan. Notably, two students, Matt Banschbach and Khalil JeBailey, who were recipients of Huayu Enrichment Scholarships from TECO to study in Taiwan last summer, encouraged their peers to seize the opportunity. The event also featured speeches from key figures, including Dr. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice's Vice President for Research, who spoke about research opportunities in Taiwan. Additionally, Dr. Adria Baker, recently retired Associate Vice Provost for International Education, emphasized the importance of experiencing another culture.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston (TECO) was represented by Director General Yvonne Hsiao and Andrea S.Y. Yang, Director of the Educational Division. They presented the check to Dr. Ramesh and CLIC Director, Dr. Helade Scutti Santos.
CLIC is grateful to MOFA and TECO for their support. CLIC also thanks Andrea Galindo Escamilla, Pre-award Specialist in Rice’s Office of Sponsored Projects, for coordinating the award with TECO.