Vanderbilt and Asia: Student and Alumni Connections

Since its founding in 1873, Vanderbilt University has influenced the modern world through educating international students. Within decades of its establishment, Vanderbilt had provided an education to Asian students such as Charlie Soong (1861–1918, China) and Yun Chi-ho (1864–1945, Korea). The Alumni Directory of Vanderbilt University, published in 1923, records several dozen students from Asian countries, including China, Japan, Korea, India, the Philippines (then an American colony), and so on. The current exhibition features twelve of these students. Whether returning home after their time at Vanderbilt or continuing their global adventures, Vanderbilt University's Asian alumni directly and indirectly shaped the political and cultural landscape of modern Asia and the world.Today, international students from dozens of countries make up more than 10% of Vanderbilt’s student body.

Trans-Pacific Links: The Vanderbilt University Asian Alumni Project (funded by a Vanderbilt Sesquicentennial Grant) aims to uncover the history of Vanderbilt’s Asian alumni as well as the university’s historical and current links with Asia. The project involves Vanderbilt undergraduate and graduate students and faculty members, as well as librarians and support staff. As Vanderbilt University grows its global reputation as a leading educational institution, the current project reflects the concerted endeavors of the Vanderbilt community to not only celebrate Vanderbilt's sesquicentennial anniversary, but also to advance its global leadership in the twenty-first century.

Special Note: From the two World Wars to a series of national conflicts in the twentieth century, Vanderbilt University's Asian alumni have played different roles in these historical events; some embraced different ideologies and even participated in wars of invasion. This project maintains an academic, historical, and critical perspective in documenting their lives. We uncover their stories as former students at Vanderbilt University, and we invite reflection on how such overseas encounters may impact individuals and the world.

Project Directors:

Guojun Wang (Associate Professor of Asian Studies)

Gerald Figal (Professor of History and Asian Studies)

Supporting Librarians:

Stacy Curry-Johnson (Librarian for Geospatial Data and Systems, Lecturer in Anthropology)

Yuh-Fen Benda (Librarian for Asian Studies; Librarian for Metadata)

Teresa Gray (Curator of Special Collections)

Research Associate:

Ling-yi Tsai (Doctoral Student, History Department)

Student Contributors:

ASIA 2610 Overseas Encounters (23 students in the class of spring 2023)

Special Thanks:

Department of Asian Studies

Vanderbilt University Sesquicentennial Grant (Office of the Chancellor), 2022-2024

The Office of the University Registrar

Department of American Studies

The Curb Center