 | This article contains promotional content. (May 2024) |
| Named after | Richard W. Weatherhead |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1949 |
| Location |
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Director | Lien-Hang T. Nguyen |
Parent organization | Columbia University |
| Website | weai |
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) at Columbia University is a community of scholars affiliated with Columbia's schools, bringing together over 50 full-time faculty, a diverse group of visiting scholars and professionals, and students from the United States and abroad. Its mission is to train new generations of experts on East Asian topics in the humanities, social sciences, and the professions and to enhance understanding of East Asia in the wider community.[1] Since its establishment in 1949 as the East Asian Institute, the WEAI has been the center for modern and contemporary East Asia research, studies, and publication at Columbia, covering China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea, Mongolia (Inner Asia), Tibet, and, increasingly, the countries of Southeast Asia.
The Weatherhead East Asian Institute (WEAI) and East Asian Studies at Columbia has been recognized by a wide variety of funding sources, including the U.S. Department of Education, which, since 1960, has designated Columbia as an East Asian National Resource Center.
Faculty and scholars at the institute are distinguished by their interdisciplinary and multinational focus. Resources available to the institute community include Columbia University's renowned C.V. Starr East Asian Library and the institute's extensive ties to the business, diplomatic, legal, and media communities in New York City, the nation, and abroad. The institute is also one of the leading centers for developing K-12 teacher resource and training programs in the United States.
In 2003, the institute was renamed the Weatherhead East Asian Institute to honor the generosity of the Weatherhead Foundation. The Weatherhead endowment supports a significant expansion of Institute programs, including the creation of postdoctoral fellowships, visiting professorships, a faculty research program, graduate training grants, student internships, a resident fellows program, and symposiums and workshops. The endowment will also support graduate fellowships for students pursuing advanced degrees in East Asian-related fields.[2]