Fall Newsletter 2015

UIAAAN Newsletter - Fall edition September 23, 2015   AACC 10th Anniversary- Celebrate in Chicago (Sept. 24) and Champaign (Oct. 16-18) Thursday, Sept. 24, 2015 (tomorrow evening!) from 5-7 pm, all alumni are invited to the Chicago kickoff of AACC's 10th anniversary celebration, at the Orange and Blue Room of the Illini Center, 200 S. Wacker Drive. This free networking event will highlight accomplishments and future goals of the Asian American Cultural Center, while providing an opportunity for Chicagoland alumni to meet UIAAAN board members. Register for the Chicago event NOW -- See you there!  Sponsored by UIAAAN, the U of I Alumni Association, and the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC). Then join us in Champaign-Urbana the weekend of October 16th-18th, 2015, for more celebrating of the opening of the AACC in September 2005, including a banquet on Oct. 17th from 5-8 pm at the Alice Campbell Alumni Center, 600 S. Lincoln Ave. Urbana.Read More. Call for Action: Share your Illinois experience with us Living History: "Our Stories from 70s to Now"  is the current featured exhibition at the Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) in Urbana. This exhibit allows us not only to recognize the contributions of many individuals but also to share the stories and voices throughout the history of Asian American movement on campus. It's just a start and we want to hear more from you. Simply email either UIAAAN or AACC with a picture. Tell us about the people in the picture and why this picture is an important moment for you. Welcome our New Board Member: Wen Zhang Wen Zhang graduated from the U. of I. in 2012 with a Master of Science in Advertising; she is now working as an International Client Specialist in charge of the international markets for a software development company in downtown Chicago. After graduating from U. of I., Wen gained several years of experience in digital marketing, customer relationship maintenance and advertising. She is passionate about being part of the Illinois community and helping Asian American alumni connect to one another. Wen is now based in Chicago and will focus on outreach to organizations and groups in Chicagoland. She will work closely with our Alumni and Student Relationship Director in event and program planning in the city of Chicago.Read More.      Outstanding Alumnus Spotlight: Interview with Wesley Chu Mr. Wesley Chu, born in Taipei and now an acclaimed science fiction author, graduated from the U. of I. with an information system management degree in 1999. Although Chu spent most of his career in the banking industry after graduation, he also worked as a stuntman and acted in films and TV series. His passion to write kept him staying up late at night after working all day. He turns 39 today, Sept. 23rd! In Wesley’s interview, you will learn his values, the inspiration for his novels, and how he overcame challenges of his dream career.  Our takeaway from his interview is: Life is short, so know your limitations, continue to work hard, and believe in yourself... Your opportunity will arrive at the right time! Read More.            Blog Story: To be or not to be...Married I could make a grand entrance by writing something soooo deep and dark and really philosophical, but, hey, I have plenty of opportunities in the future to make you cry your eyeballs out. So, for my first blog, I chose something lighthearted. I am fascinated by Indian culture and fond of comedy and music. What could be a better combination than the film Bollywood Hollywood starring Lisa Ray and directed by Deepa Mehta? Read More.   Featured Intern: Mia Xin After receiving the UIAAAN scholarship, Mia was inspired by the importance of a strong Asian and Asian Americans’ network. She applied for and was offered a volunteer internship position as Programming Assistant for Alumni and Student Relationships. She has been conducting an alumni relationship chairs survey to learn how UIAAAN can assist Asian and Asian American Registered Student Organizations (RSOs) to bridge the communication gap between students and alumni. She is also working with RSOs for a collaborative homecoming event in October 2015. More details will be posted on UIAAAN’s Facebook group. Not using Facebook? Just leave a message on our website, and we will follow up with you!  Read More.   Asian-American Voters in the News Election-NPR Story: How Asian-American Voters Went From Republican to Democratic. Read more.  Campus Highlights Fighting Illini Fan News!  Chinese broadcasting for home football games: Home football games at Memorial Stadium began being broadcast in Mandarin Chinese online as of September 4th, 2015. To watch games live, go here. Games are scheduled Sept. 26th (3:00 pm CDT vs. Middle Tennessee State), Oct. 3rd (2:30 pm CDT vs. Nebraska), Oct. 24th (2:30 pm CDT vs. Wisconsin), and Nov. 14th (vs. Ohio State University). Read more about the who and why of the Chinese broadcasts. New tailgate packages: Want to tailgate at Illini home games, but it’s too much hassle? Here might be a solution: starting in July 2015, Illinois has established a partnership with Tailgater Concierge Fans and students can take advantage of Illinois' partnership with TAILGATER CONCIERGE to purchase individual tailgate packages that include tents, tables, chairs, and many other tailgate essentials. The new fenced tailgating area is just west of Memorial Stadium, which used to be Lot 36. UIUC campus Communication Library has free international TV viewing room Read more. UIUC Chancellor, Provost, Head Football Coach - GONE! Some unusual leadership changes took place at Illinois in August and September 2015:  After Dr. Wise’s resignation, the dean of College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dr. Barbara Wilson was named as the acting chancellor for the time being. In addition, Dr. Edward J. Feser, the dean of the college of Fine and Applied Arts, was named as interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs after Dr. Ilesanmi Adesida also stepped down from the Provost position on the first day of the semester. Read more. Finally, Mr. Bill Cubit was named as interim Head Football Coach and to serve as Offensive Coordinator for the 2015 season after Head Coach Tim Beckman was dismissed just a week before the first football game this fall. As alumni, what do you think about the leadership transitions? Share your thoughts with UIAAAN’s blog. Multi-million dollar donation by Taiwanese alum Sidney Liu  In April 2015, the campus announced a $12 million commitment from alumnus Sidney Lu to build the Sidney Lu Center for Learning and Innovation within the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering (MechSE). Sidney Lu, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 1981 with degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics, is a world leader in technology in Taiwan.  Insurance Deals for Alumni: Life, Car, Home… and Pets! As U. of I. Alumni Association members (and every graduate is considered one!), we are eligible for group rates of life insurance through Mercer, and car and home policies through Liberty Mutual Insurance. We can even insure our furry family members through Nationwide! If you need any of these types of insurance, or just are curious, you should get a quote; the rates may be a significant savings for you.  Tip: Did you know that renter's insurance can cover the loss or theft of any personal possessions (including bicycles, laptops, cell phones, etc.), even if you don't own a house, and even if they are stolen somewhere besides your home? It is quite affordable and is a wise way to protect yourself in the event of such unfortunate incidents.   Regional Club News Illinois Alumni Club of Shanghai On August 8, 2015, the Office of Corporate Relations/Public Engagement, in collaboration with the Career Services Council, organized the first-ever Shanghai Career Forum for Chinese students seeking employment in China. The UIUC Career Event in Shanghai went very well. The morning session was a seminar, attended in total by about 100 people. Over 10 alumni were invited to attend this event, including 2 guest speakers,  Ms. Shuyin Chuai and Mr. Huan Zhou. They shared their experiences and communicated with our recent and returning alumni and current students. Altogether, 120 people – both recent graduates and current students -- attended the Career Fair in the afternoon.         UI Alumni Association, Taiwan Chapter Sidney Lu, who graduated from the University of Illinois in 1981 with degrees in mechanical engineering and mathematics, is a world leader in technology. Based in Taiwan, Lu serves as the first chairman and CEO of Foxconn Interconnect Technology which provides joint-design, joint-development, manufacturing, assembly, and after-sales services to computer, communication, and consumer electronics leaders. After Mr. Sidney Lu's second recognition by the University of Illinois in April 2015 for his $12 million dollar donation, the Taiwan Illini Club hosted a meet-and-greet in July 2015 for Mr. Lu and alumni in Taipei to allow alumni to learn about his personal, professional and Illinois experience. Read More.   Regional Club Profiling Project The U. of I. Asian American Alumni Network is now working to profile each of the alumni clubs around the world, to build a community for both our alumni and students. Our primary purpose is to provide an alumni club regional “package” to new graduates and local alumni connecting them to one another. We will accomplish this by featuring alumni clubs and individual alumni through our blog, social media and our quarterly newsletters.This project was launched in August 2015, targeting all the alumni clubs in the Asia-Pacific area as well as the U.S., and so far, we already received several responses. In the upcoming months, we will send out a second round of survey requests to Alumni Club leaders, meet with local alumni association leaders during the AACC 10th Anniversary/Homecoming event (Oct. 16-17 in Urbana), and also reach out to individual distinguished alumni to invite them to join our network. If you are the leader or board member of a U. of I. Asian American Alumni Club -- anywhere in the world! -- please find the survey via this link. If you are interested in this project and want to join us, please feel free to email our organizational development director, Monika Burchfield.  Upcoming Dates To Remember Asian Filmfest in Chicago Sept. 30 - Oct.4 Attention, Movie Lovers/Alumni in Chicago! This year, UIAAAN is one of the partners of Chicago South Asian Film Festival. The 2015 Festival begins on Wednesday, September 30th and ends on Sunday, October 4th. An exclusive discount code for our alumni will be posted on UIAAAN’s Facebook group soon!  Not using Facebook? Just leave a message on our website, and we will follow up with you! Special thanks to Mr. Amit Rana (B.S. Electrical Engineering ‘01) -- as one of the board members of Chicago South Asian Arts Council, Inc., he oversees the South Asian Film Festival and has invited UIAAAN to take part in the event. To learn more about Amit, check out his LinkedIn Profile. Homecoming with your RSOs    UIAAAN is planning a co-hosted alumni event with different RSOs on campus. AAA (Asian American Association) and APAC (Asian Pacific American Coalition) both show interest in partnering with us. The alumni event is scheduled for Oct 16th-17th, which is the same dates as the AACC (Asian American Cultural Center) 10-Year Anniversary celebration, to help us gather more alumni and students to participate. If you are coming back on campus during Homecoming (week of Oct. 18-24, 2015), please feel free to reach out to your RSO or UIAAAN for more details.  AACC 10th Anniversary  The Asian American Cultural Center (AACC) at Urbana is inviting you to join its 10th anniversary celebration of its history-making opening in September 2005 on Friday, October 16th and Saturday, October 17th. UIAAAN is recognized as one of 10 the outstanding contributions to the AACC! Save the date, and if you have any questions, email AACC. A Happy Hour social will be hosted by UIAAAN after the “Living History: Our Stories from the 70s to Now” Art Exhibit reception 5-7 pm October 16th. A banquet will be held Oct. 17th. Contact Ning Zulauf for more details. Did you know UIAAAN has a Facebook Group!? If you are on Facebook, please join us and share your thoughts, events and news on our and UIAAAN Group page. Feel free to post and share anything you would like.                 We encourage and nurture meaningful relationships to create a supportive community of Asian and Asian American alumni and students by providing comprehensive programming and opportunities that illustrate University of Illinois pride.     © 2015 University of Illinois Asian American Alumni Network