Korean Americans unite to keep UW program alive

Three years ago, the Center for Korean Studies at the University of Washington was losing a professor to retirement. He was a third of the department's three-person faculty. It would have spelled the end for Korean Studies, once the largest program in the country.

In an unusual and ambitious collaboration, the local Korean-American community stepped in and said it would raise the money to create an endowment to fund a professor's position forever.

Then the community, one of the largest in the United States, surprised everyone by delivering on its promise.

It raised $260,000 as churches, community banks, professional groups, weekend Korean-language schools, even soccer clubs collected money. The owner of a dry-cleaning shop sent a check for $300. A PTA member gave $10.

On top of that, UW alums in South Korea collectively raised $100,000.

The South Korean government and the University of Washington each gave $500,000, as well.

"The Korean community has never had this kind of challenge," said David Hodge, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "If this hadn't happened, this treasure wouldn't be here."

It's a story Hodge tells around the university over and over again for inspiration. Sometimes, it does take a village.

When the UW's Korean Studies program was established in 1968, it was the largest program in the country.

Bigger programs have since been established at other universities, but the UW library still houses North America's third-largest academic collection on Korea, second only to the Library of Congress and Harvard University.

More and more students took Korean-language classes at the UW. By 2001, more than 200 students were enrolled each quarter in language and literature classes.

Then James Palais, a Korean history professor, decided to retire four years ago. Faced with budget cuts, the university chose not to fill his state-funded position.

In a larger department, it might not have made a difference. But the Korean Studies program, part of the UW's Jackson School of International Studies, had only three professors. Eliminating one would have killed the program.

The Korean-American community and former UW President Richard McCormick gathered in December 2002 and decided to raise money themselves to build a $2 million endowment for a professorship. Palais agreed to put off full retirement and continue teaching key courses until 2004.

It was a novel approach. Most endowed professorships are the result of a donation from a wealthy individual interested in a particular department.

KEN LAMBERT / THE SEATTLE TIMES Scott Swaner, an assistant professor in UW's Department of Asian Languages and Literature, teaches students verb forms during a class in Korean literature.

Some questioned whether the community could keep momentum going to meet the goal. Among the organizers, many worried that such mainstream forms of philanthropy had not been embraced by minority or immigrant communities.

"We complain among ourselves that we're only concerned about our own living without concern for societal issues," said Ick-Whan Lee, a Korean-American businessman and UW alum who spearheaded fund raising in the community.

Hodge describes Lee as a "fund-raiser who runs an import-export business on the side."

Eventually, 350 individuals and groups donated to the endowment. A local Korean-language newspaper, The Korea Times, ran the names of any donor who gave at least $10 in the newspaper.

Impressed by the community's support, the UW turned a separate lecture position in Korean literature into a tenure-track job, adding a third permanent faculty member to Korean Studies. The university is moving ahead with a job search to fill the endowed position.

Organizers are still about $640,000 short of their final $2 million goal.

State Sen. Paull Shin, who is Korean American, tried to get the Legislature to approve funds in 2004, but the effort failed in the House.

This year, Shin hopes to get the state to contribute $500,000 to the endowment.

Lee thinks it was the value of education that inspired many in the community to give.

"The education of children is very important," he said. "Naturally they were interested here."

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958 or schan@seattletimes.com