WISCONSIN CHINA INITIATIVE

Recognizing the importance of China to the economic and political future of Wisconsin and the United States, the Division of International Studies in 2007 convened a group of faculty, alumni, and leaders in business and government to form the Wisconsin China Initiative. The goals of the WCI are to:

Build an effective platform for UW engagement with the China region
Serve the Wisconsin Idea by disseminating knowledge beyond the classroom
Partner strategically with government and business groups across the Upper Midwest
Deepen and expand education and research about China

Jerry C.P. Yin 殷起平 - Faculty Director

A professor in the Departments of Genetics and Neurology at UW-Madison, Jerry Chi-Ping Yin received his BA from Princeton University in 1975, and his PhD in Molecular Biology from UW-Madison in 1986. He has worked and taught in China, and developed summer student research opportunities for Chinese students in Madison.

Jerry has led the WCI since August 2015. He plays a leading role in efforts to strengthen China connections across the campus and to bring together faculty and staff who are interested and engaged in the China region. Under his leadership, the WCI began new programs to improve the experience of Chinese freshmen entering UW-Madison, and to collect and celebrate the stories of our Badger alumni - from the first Chinese degree recipients in 1909 to today.

For more information, contact Jerry Yin (International Division staff), WCI Faculty Director, at jcyin@wisc.edu

Laurie Dennis - Associate Director

Laurie (2nd from left in the photo above, taken during Chancellor Rebecca Blank's 2018 visit to Peking University) has a background in journalism and extensive experience related to China. She has a master's degree from the University of Minnesota and a bachelor's degree in Chinese from UW-Madison. Prior to returning to her alma mater to join the WCI, Laurie worked as an editor for a newspaper in Minnesota and helped start an on-line community newspaper in Davidson, N.C. Her feature writing and opinion pieces have brought her state and national recognition from such organizations as the Society of Professional Journalists, the National Newspaper Association, and the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors. She has also lived and worked in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, and in Beijing.

For more information, contact Laurie Dennis (International Division staff), WCI Associate Director, at ldennis@wisc.edu.

SUPPORT OUR MISSION

We welcome conversations about how to support student research and study abroad scholarships, faculty exchange programs, lectures and conferences, and more. And let us know of your current activities and event notices related to UW-Madison and China. See our Get Involved tab for more on how to reach us.

We are also actively seeking stories and photos about alumni (including visiting scholars) from the 1900s, and news updates about how current Badgers are connected with the China region. See our History tab for more information.

For further information on the China region, please see the Faculty and Staff Expertise section found below.

Faculty and Staff Expertise on China

The UW-Madison has a wide range of departmental connections, faculty research projects, student exchanges, and more with China. Below is a sampling of some of the faculty and staff who have collaborated with the WCI:

Gilles Bousquet, French and Italian, College of Letters & Science
Joseph Dennis, History, College of Letters & Science
Anatoly Detwyler, Chinese literature, Department of Asian Languages & Cultures
Wei Dong, Design Studies, School of Human Ecology
Shuxing Fan, Theatre and Drama, College of Letters & Science
Edward Friedman, Emeritus, Political Science, College of Letters & Science
Dan Gold, Director, International Academic Programs
Yu-hen Hu, Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Rania Huntington, Chinese literature, Department of Asian Languages & Cultures
Jack Jiang, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine and Public Health
Robert Joynt, Physics, College of Letters & Science
Judd Kinzley, History, College of Letters & Science
Zhenhuan (Reed) Lei, Political Science
Weijia Li, Education Leadership & Policy Analysis, School of Education
Yuhang Li, Art History, College of Letters & Science
Joseph Mason, Geography, College of Letters & Science
Viren Murthy, History, College of Letters & Science
Adam Nelson, Education Policy Studies, College of Education
William Nienhauser, Emeritus, Chinese literature, College of Letters & Science
John Ohnesorge, Law, East Asian Legal Studies Center Director
Zhongdang Pan, Communication Science, College of Letters & Science
John Pfotenhauer, Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
Thomas Popkewitz, Curriculum & Instruction, School of Education
Martin Rouse, Adult Career and Special Services, Division of Continuing Studies
James Schauer, Civil and Environmental Engineering, College of Engineering
Nathan Schulfer, International and Professional Programs, the Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies
Lih-Sheng (Tom) Turng, Mechanical Engineering, College of Letters & Science
Guanming Shi, Agriculture & Applied Economics, College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
Anlin Yang, East Asian librarian
Jinwen Yu, Dance, College of Education
Hongming Zhang, Chinese linguistics, Department of Asian Languages & Culture
A-Xing Zhu, Geography, College of Letters & Science
Weihua Zhu, Chinese, Asian Languages & Cultures
Kurt Zimmerman, Master of Science in Biotechnology, School of Medicine and Public Health

FORMER FACULTY DIRECTORS

John Ohnesorge - Director (2008-12)

Professor Ohnesorge teaches Business Organizations and Administrative Law, as well as seminars in Chinese Law, and in law and development in developing countries. He is the Director of the Law School's East Asian Legal Studies Center, and was the founding director of the Wisconsin China Initiative. Under his leadership, the WCI developed policy guidelines, held high-profile public lectures about China, and connected with faculty and alumni groups.

A native of Minneapolis, Professor Ohnesorge received his B.A. degree from St. Olaf College (1985), his J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School (1989), and his S.J.D. from Harvard Law School (2002). Along the way he has spent several years in East Asia, first as a teacher and law student in Shanghai in the 1980s, and then as a lawyer in private practice in Seoul in the 1990s.

Nicole Huang 黃心村 - Director (2012-15)

Professor Huang received her B.A. from Beijing University and a Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles. She was a member of UW–Madison’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literature from 1998-2017, and is currently chair of the Department of Comparative Literature at the University of Hong Kong.

She previously directed the UW-Madison's Wisconsin China Initiative, and its Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS). Under her leadership, the WCI expanded its alumni connections and launched the Red Cap lecture series, while CEAS inaugurated Taiwan Studies, and helped shape a more integrated and cohesive East Asian Studies community at UW–Madison.