University of St. Thomas Center for International Studies will establish a Taiwan Studies Center with the generous support of the Ministry of Education of Taiwan.

Understanding the importance of international education, the Ministry has donated and pledged $280,000 through 2023 to support the creation of our newest program. In combination with donations to date, the Center will have a total of $500,000.

“Dating back to the 1982 directorship of William J. Cunningham, the Center for International Studies has sought to build academic and people-to-people bridges between Houston and partners throughout Taiwan,” Dr. Hans Stockton, professor and director of the Center for International Studies,” said.

“As sister cities, Houston and Taipei have a rich history of commercial and cultural exchanges that make both of our cities better places to live and work,” Stockton said. “Our new Taiwan initiatives play an important role in building infrastructure to further enrich our societies.”

Dr. Stockton has studies, worked and taught periodically in Taiwan since 1992. He is internationally renowned as an East Asian and Taiwan expert specializing in political and security issues in the region. Stockton will serve as director of the new Center.

Establishment of Center for Taiwan Studies

The newly established Center will include new faculty positions, support for student study abroad experiences, scholarships for Taiwan courses, summer programs for students from Taiwan and Mandarin language. Plans also include an endowed chair in Taiwan and East Asia Studies.

UST will add Taiwan lectures and events each year, and host a Biennial Conference on Taiwan Studies and Taiwan-US relations in cooperation with international, regional, and local partners.

About the Center for International Studies

University of St. Thomas Center for International Studies is dedicated to educating and inspiring the next generation of America’s private and public sector diplomats. The Center includes the Department of International Studies, Modern Languages, and Political Science, the Distinguished Diplomat Program, Latin American Studies Program, Taiwan and East Asia Studies Program and American Diplomacy and Geopolitics of East Asia.

“By raising awareness of the import of American diplomatic, strategic, and commercial relations in East Asia, the UST Center for International Studies is empowered to be active agents of change,” Stockton said.

The TEAS Program originated with the Taiwan and US-Japan initiatives in the fall of 2014. Expansion of these efforts into the TEAS Program was possible because of UISFL grants from:

• US Department of Education (2014-15, 2016-17, and 2018-19);
• Taiwan Studies Grant from the Ministry of Education (Taipei, Taiwan) (2016-18 and 2019-23);
• Japan Foundation Language Assistance Grant (2016-17);
• Chinese Language Teaching Assistance Grant (Taipei, Taiwan)
• And the generous private philanthropic support from leaders in our community.