University of Â鶹´«Ã½ alumni Sung Chul and Daisy Yang have pledged $1 million to establish an endowment to support the Drs. Sung Chul Yang and Daisy Lee Yang Lecture Series. Their pledge will support the advancement of Korean studies by creating a lecture series featuring eminent scholars of Korean or Asian affairs at the at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ at Mānoa’s .

“The School of Pacific and Asian Studies is very pleased about the generous gift from the Yangs to the Center for Korean Studies,” said R. Anderson Sutton, School of Pacific and Asian Studies dean. “It will enable us to bring very distinguished lecturers to our campus on a regular basis, offering valuable opportunities for our students and faculty in Asian Studies and Pacific Islands Studies to learn more about Korea—its history, cultural accomplishments and dynamic rise in global prominence.”

The Center for Korean Studies is the oldest and largest Korean studies institution outside Korea. Established in 1972, the center develops and promotes Korean studies internationally. With more than 30 faculty members offering courses or conducting research related to Korea, the center has by far the largest number of Korean studies scholars in any educational institution outside Korea. As an educational, research and informational hub for Korean studies in the United States, the center has served as a support system for students, faculty and the Â鶹´«Ã½ community.

Added Center for Korean Studies Director Sang-Hyop Lee, “Gifts such as this one enable us to continue growing as an institution for the education of future Koreanists. They also provide crucial support for our programs to broaden knowledge and understanding of Korea and Asia.”

About Sung Chul Yang

Sung Chul Yang has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in a wide range of leadership and academic positions. These include serving as distinguished professor, , Seoul; Ambassador of The Republic of Korea (ROK) to the United States; senior adviser and chairman of the advisory committee of the Kim Dae-jung Peace Foundation and member of the 15th ROK National Assembly.

Born and raised in Korea, he earned his BA from , MA from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and PhD from the .

“I not only owe a lifelong gratitude to UH Mānoa and the Center for Korean Studies, but to the U.S. government and American people as well,” said Yang. “At UH as an East-West Center grantee, I learned the importance of intercultural relations and education. We established this endowment to contribute to the building of common ground that our world needs in order to resolve conflict and create a more peaceful world.”

About Daisy Yang

Daisy Jung Jin Lee was born in North Korea. Her family moved to Â鶹´«Ã½ and she graduated from McKinley High School. She earned her BA from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, MS and PhD from the University of Kentucky, and MAT from the .

She had a successful career in academia including professorship at Korea University, Hankook University of Foreign Studies and Kyunggi Open University in Seoul, Korea.

Lee has served in a variety of community leadership roles including the Superintendent’s Task Force and Advisory Committee on Advance Program, and the Community Advisory Committee for Bilingual Education Program, Jefferson County Board of Education in Louisville, Kentucky.

She is the author of Lady Bora from Diamond Mountain, a Korean historical fantasy novel.

A team of researchers visited the Visayas region of the southern Philippines that was devastated in November 2013 by Super Typhoon Haiyan. Television personality Emme Tomimbang hosts an Thanksgiving special “Haiyan After the Storm.”

The show presents a poignant look at the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the resiliency of the people in the Philippines and the outpouring of support and aid. “Haiyan After the Storm” airs on KGMB on Thanksgiving Day, November 27, 9 p.m. and on Sunday, November 30 at 9 p.m. on KHNL

One of the most destructive storms in modern times, Haiyan left thousands dead or missing and had an incalculable impact to loss of property and livelihood.

Among the delegation and featured in the special documentary presentation are University of Â鶹´«Ã½’s Jainey K. Bavishi, executive director of the ; Dennis Hwang, coastal hazard mitigation specialist with and Karl Kim, professor of urban and regional planning and director of the .

Their interviews examine the ongoing recovery efforts, assess how storm victims are still coping with only the most basic necessities of daily living available and look for lessons that can be applied to future disasters around the world and here in Â鶹´«Ã½.

The trip was organized by the , a Â鶹´«Ã½ based non-profit organization.

UH News video

, October 2, 2014.