College to Host Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence
News Release
For additional information, contact Nancy Nanney, chairperson of the Humanities Division, 304.424-8361.
West Virginia University at Parkersburg is helping to bridge the global divide by hosting its first ever Fulbright scholar-in-residence.
Kee Thuan Chye, a prominent Malaysian journalist, director, playwright and actor, will join the Parkersburg campus faculty during the Spring 2002 Semester. The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs notified the college its proposal to host Kee for a semester has been awarded funding under the 2001-2002 Fulbright program.
The Fulbright Scholars Program is the nation’s flagship program in international educational exchange. It is designed to promote mutual understanding between the United States and other countries of the world by providing a variety of educational opportunities including lecturing, advanced research, and graduate study and teaching. More than 144,000 foreign citizens have come to the United States under Fulbright auspices.
This will be WVU Parkersburg’s first Fulbright scholar.
"We anticipate Mr. Kee and his family will have a great deal to share with local organizations and individuals while they are here in our community as well as benefit from the experience of living in beautiful and cordial West Virginia," Nancy Nanney, chairperson of WVU Parkersburg’s Humanities Division, noted.
While at WVU Parkersburg, Kee will teach an upper division journalism course geared to international issues and perspectives and produce an Asian-based theatrical production during his residency. He will also be available for special campus and community presentations and readings, Dr. Nanney noted.
"Mr. Kee is well-versed not only in the artistic traditions and new trends of his own part of the world but also in those transpiring internationally," she said.
He is presently affiliated with The Star, one of Malaysia’s major English-language dailies. He earned his bachelor of arts degree in literature from the Universiti Sains Malaysia and his master’s in drama from the University of Essex in England. He has received cultural/travel grants from several countries, including the Philippines, England and Australia.
During his stay in Parkersburg, Kee will be accompanied by his wife, Lim Choy Wan, who teaches English at the University of Malaya, and their two children, daughter Soraya who is 11 years old and son Jebat who is 10. The children will attend school in the Parkersburg area.
Dr. Nanney noted the college is seeking suitable housing for Kee and his family. Anyone who might be able to assist may contact Dr. Nanney at the college, 424-8361.
For additional information, contact:
Connie Dziagwa
Director, Communications and Public Relations
WVU Parkersburg
(304-424-8203)
060701