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 actively participated.
The award will be used to support various initiatives, with the greatest portion providing travel awards for students. Other funded projects include a resource for teaching traditional Chinese characters, courses on Chinese society and culture, and campus activities.
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, encouraged their peers to seize the opportunity. They had received the Huayu Enrichment Scholarships from TECO to study in Taiwan last summer. The event also featured speeches from key figures, including Dr. Ramamoorthy Ramesh, Rice's Vice President for Research. He 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.