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UCLA receives endowment of US$1 million to support Taiwan Studies

The donation was made by the J. Yang and Family Foundation, established by a Taiwanese-American family

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UCLA Campus (Image from Facebook)

UCLA Campus (Image from Facebook)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A foundation established by a Taiwanese-American family, the J. Yang and Family Foundation, has provided a US$1 million endowment to help support the field of Taiwan studies at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Of the US$1 million, US$750,000 will go towards establishing the J. Yang and Family Foundation Taiwan Studies Endowment, while the remaining US$250,000 will establish a Centennial Scholars Fellowship Endowment.

The endowment was further matched by a grant of US$125,000 from the Chancellor's Centennial Scholars Match initiative affiliated with UCLA. Much of the funding will reportedly go towards providing scholarships to graduates and undergraduates pursuing Taiwan studies, through study abroad programs and research grants.

The university announced the donation through a news release on Nov. 9. The head of UCLA’s Asia Pacific Center, Min Zhou, remarked that the endowment will help ensure Taiwan Studies continue to benefit another generation of students.

UCLA established its Taiwan Studies Program in 2014 with the support of the Taiwan Ministry of Education. It also reportedly maintains academic relations with National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) and National Chengchi University (NCCU).

The funds will be used to create programs that make UCLA “an engagement hub that will advance both public understanding of and academic research and scholarly exchange on Taiwan,” said Zhou.

Jackson Yang, the president of the foundation, was quoted in the UCLA news release:

“My family has always valued education. We greatly appreciate the opportunity to partner with UCLA to sustain scholarly research and teaching on Taiwan and are especially delighted that our gift will support scholarships for UCLA students.”

Speaking on behalf of the university, Cindy Fan, UCLA's Vice-Provost for international studies and global engagement expressed gratitude for the generous donation from the J. Yang and Family Foundation.

“This gift will propel the Taiwan Studies Program and UCLA’s engagement with Taiwan to new heights. We’re grateful to Mr. Yang and his family for their vision and support.”