UNIVERSITY COLLEGE INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS

III. PROGRESS TO DATE

IV. CURRENT INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS AND COURSES

Programs

Not applicable.

Courses

Although the College's principal curriculum is based within a sound liberal arts component, it is fair to consider University College as being more "market-driven" than "mission-driven". Consequently, its very success demands that the College be in a p osition to deliver quickly courses and or programs that the general public desires. For the past fifteen years, University College has been a campus leader in offering courses with a distinct international component. On the other hand, it has not been able to offer any long-term and comprehensive international program since the Colleg e is prohibited from maintaining a full-time faculty outside the area of Exercise and Sport Sciences.

With little hope for altering the organizational structure of the College vis-ˆ-vis its reliance upon adjunct faculty for unique programming, it is anticipated that for at least the next five years, the College will continue to seek and offer specific cou rses dealing with some aspect of international studies.

This is not necessarily a weakness and, in fact, may be considered a strength. A fundamental purpose of a "University College type division" is to serve as a testing ground for the mainstream of the academy. In this regard, the College has always welcomed offers to provide courses previously not taught which appear to have a demand and which complement the traditional liberal arts offerings.

Presently, University College offers a rather large number of international studies courses which are otherwise unavailable at Tulane. These courses are populated not only with nontraditional learners from the community, but with Tulane full-time undergr aduates as well. Since the student demand is so high, the College continues to provide adjunct faculty for these courses, and it is likely that the courses would otherwise not be funded.

These academic courses include:

    Anthropology                 - People of the Pacific
				   People of South Asia
    Architecture                 - Introduction of Japanese Architecture
    Chinese                      - Chinese Language I, II, III
				   Survey of Chinese Classical and Popular Lit
    English                      - Vietnam Literature and Film
    English as a Second Language - Five courses for academic                                                            credit
    History                      - India, Classical to Modern
    Japanese                     - Japanese Language I, II, III, IV
    Management                   - Introduction to Global Business
    Pol Science                  - Elite Press of the Vietnam War
    Vietnamese                   - Vietnamese Language I, II

The same type of single-course offerings noted in the academic credit program exist in the noncredit as well. Whereas it is unlikely that a package of courses could be grouped into some type of international studies noncredit program, the noncredit division of the College is even more flexible than the credit division when it comes to an ability to offer a specialized course. Again, this is a market-driven unit, and if demand is found for some type of noncredit certification program dealing with an aspect of international trade or business, it could be quickly assembled and marketed. Learning early about such needs is a continuing challenge.

V. FACULTY

VI. PROPOSED NEW PROGRAMS

PROPOSAL: It is proposed that an Institute for Vietnamese Studies be established by Tulane University and housed in University College.

RATIONALE: The very existence of the large community of Vietnamese in New Orleans is justification enough for the establishment of a research-oriented center. Presently, there exists no institution of higher education in the state or region with such an institute. With limited exceptions, the social, cultural, economic, political, and educational aspects of this large community have been overlooked for more than a decade. Although this community has tended to be somewhat xenophobic and introspective since its establishment, it is likely this behavior will diminish as the younger generation becomes more acclimated and settled to life in southeastern Louisiana.

Furthermore, with the pending establishment of formal United States government ties to the country of Vietnam, the importance of the New Orleans Vietnamese community could be magnified. By the end of this summer, it appears that several high-level U.S. State Department officials will visit Vietnam and set the stage for political normalization. An established Institute for Vietnamese Studies at Tulane could be at the core of current and needed research both in dealing with the assimilation/acculturati on of large scale immigrant populations in this country as well as an important loci for the entire "normalization" process.

MISSION OF THE INSTITUTE: The Institute for Vietnamese Studies must be able to serve the needs of a wide range of local and international scholars and researchers. Although the Institute will focus primarily on all aspects of Vietnam and her people, it cannot be too isolated in its mission as to ignore the general role of Vietnam as: 1) a nation within southeast Asia; 2) a former colonial territory within French Indochina; and 3) an emerging nation of the greater global community. The Institute must be open in its approach to supporting and endorsing any scholarly ac tivity as long as some component of the research encompasses Vietnam and/or the Vietnamese people.

The Institute must not only have a research base, it must also have an applied base. The Institute must ensure that it actively supports research that will have meaning to the large local Vietnamese community. It should also be in a position to act as a support center for the Vietnamese and other southeast Asian students attending Tulane.

The Institute will work with Tulane faculty not only in the preparation of grant proposals but in the development of new courses relevant to Vietnamese and Asian studies. The Institute should also serve as a sponsor for workshops focusing on such relevant topics as political normalization, war reparations, Vietnam veteran issues, film festivals, and Vietnam writers' workshops (of which there already exists an interest).

WHY ESTABLISH THE INSTITUTE IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE?: The Institute for Vietnamese Studies, as it is being presented, should be viewed in the same light as other established Centers and Institutes at Tulane, e.g., AMISTAD, Latin American Studies, and Murph y. By the very nature of such an institute's objectives and goals, it will utilize and encourage cross-discipline participation.

University College encompasses, through its administrative structure, the type of "bridge" needed to link both the local and international academic community with the community-at-large. Presently, the only academic courses dealing with Vietnam are offer ed through University College, including courses in Vietnamese language. The College has already established a foothold within the local Vietnamese community. The structure already exists in University College for placing within it an Institute for Vietnamese Studies.

REQUIRED RESOURCES: The Institute for Vietnamese Studies needs to have a well-qualified and respected Director who is an expert in some aspect of Vietnamese studies. The Director would be part of the University College administration but might hold acad emic tenure in another division of the University. For the most part, the Institute should be a significant conduit for obtaining grant money. It should be expected that the Institute could be self-supporting within a three-year period.

Preliminary budget needs to establish an Institute for Vietnamese Studies
Director's Salary	$ 70,000
Administrative Secretary	$ 20,000
Office Supplies and Equipment (1st year)	$ 15,000
(2nd & 3rd year)	$ 10,000 ea

There needs to be physical space allocated for the Institute which simply could be an office for the Director and a reception area for the administrative secretary. In time, more space may be required if the Institute begins to accumulate books, document s, manuscripts, and artifacts.

VII. TIME FRAME FOR PROPOSED NEW PROGRAMS:

VIII. CONCLUSION