Many of the nation's leaders are advising Americans to take a greater interest in Asia and to inform themselves of the history and aspirations of the people of that great continent, for it seems likely that the most significant clash of democratic and communistic philosophies is taking place in that part of the world.
At The University of Michigan, an interest in Asia is no new thing, and events of the past year or so are evidence of this University's contributions to understanding between East and West. Within the past month, Michigan was visited by Dr. Sukarno, prime minister of Indonesia, and was one of the few universities in the country selected for an Asian-American Seminar, in which leaders from a dozen Asian countries participated, as did authorities on American culture and government. In the last two years, the University has also been on the itinerary of such distinguished visitors to the United States as the prime ministers of Burma and Thailand.
This spring, The University of Michigan has been selected as a place of study by more than 1,100 students from other countries, more than 400 of whom came from the nations of the Far East and Southeast Asia. The director of the International Center has just returned to the Campus after an extensive tour in which he visited many of the countries and universities from which these students come to the United States. He, as well as other University visitors to Asia, reported a warm, continuing interest in Michigan on the part of alumni in those countries.
Within the last half-dozen years, the University has established the Center for Japanese Studies, and has provided office space on campus for the Far Eastern Association, which was organized by the American Council of Learned Societies. Ann Arbor has thus become the publishing center for the Far Eastern Quarterly, the Far Eastern Bibliography, and the Far Eastern Monograph Series. Likewise, Michigan was called upon by the United States government to assist in the organization of an Institute of Public Administration at the University of the Philippines, and several faculty members were on leave to teach in Manila during the four years this program was in effect. Similarly, faculty members have been selected many times for such assignments in Asia as work with teams of experts from the World Health Organization and other agencies of the United Nations.
The list could be lengthened, but these examples suffice as demonstration of The University of Michigan's awareness of the importance of the countries of Asia to the future of world peace, prosperity, and cultural advance. This realization, of course, must go far beyond this Campus if it is to be effective in improving American-Asian relations. The educational work of the University, accomplished through publications, public lectures, and informal associations of American and Asian students, as well as through the academic framework of courses and seminars, is a major contribution to this public awakening to the world role of Asian countries and people.
The Michigan Alumnus
June 9 1956, page 396
