WISCONSIN CHINA RESOURCE
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, now known as the “Wisconsin China Resource.” 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
Contact Us
The Wisconsin China Resource is a unit within the UW-Madison’s International Division.
The faculty director of the Center for East Asian Studies (currently History Professor Charles Kim) has administrative oversight for the program.
The staff contact for the WCR is Laurie Dennis (2nd from left in the photo, taken during Chancellor Emerita Rebecca Blank’s 2018 visit to Peking University), who has an office in 333 Ingraham Hall.
For more information, contact Laurie at ldennis@wisc.edu.
We welcome conversations about how to support student research and study abroad scholarships, faculty exchange programs, lectures and conferences, and more.
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.
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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 WCR:
- 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
- Edward Friedman, Emeritus, Political Science, College of Letters & Science
- Dan Gold, Director, International Academic Programs
- Florence Hsia, History of Science, College of Letters & Science
- 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
- Jerry Chi-Ping Yin, Genetics, School of Medicine and Public Health
- Jinwen Yu, Dance, College of Education
- Tianlu Zhang, Chinese, Asian Languages & Cultures
- 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
Jerry C.P. Yin 殷起平 - Director 2015-21
A professor in the Departments of Genetics and Neurology at UW-Madison, Jerry Chi-Ping Yin focused, during his tenure directing the WCR, on both strengthening institutional China connections and working with faculty and staff on campus interested and engaged in the China region. Under his leadership, the WCR 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.
Jerry also was key to the UW-Madison's re-engagement with Nanjing University, which led to the spring 2019 signing of a strategic partnership to encourage new linkages and student/faculty exchange programs between Madison and Nanjing.
Jerry 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.
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 Resource, and its Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS). Under her leadership, the WCR 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.
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, now known as the Wisconsin China Resource. Under his leadership, the WCR developed policy guidelines, held high-profile public lectures about China, consulted with campus leadership on issues related to the China region, 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.