1/8/97 Contact: Hwa-Wei Lee, Ohio University, 614/593-2705

ATHENS, Ohio -- An Ohio University alumna has established a $15,000 endowment to support expansion of the Ohio University Libraries' East Asia collection.

Su-Chen Chang, who earned a master's degree in international affairs in 1993, presented a $10,000 check toward the endowment to Dean of Libraries Hwa-Wei Lee and President Robert Glidden during their visit to Taiwan in November. Her husband, Shun-Sheng Wang, is also an alumnus; he holds a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Ohio University.

The Su-Chen Chang Endowment for Chinese Collections is to be used primarily to purchase books and materials about China and Taiwan.

The library's current East Asia collection is supported by an endowment established by Feng Chia University. Ohio University sends five to seven students to Feng Chia each year to teach English and study Chinese culture.

Lee said the new endowment will connect library activities to campus-wide interest in enhancing the university's global perspective. During his State of the University address in October, Glidden included internationalizing the curriculum as one of the university's goals.

"The library will do likewise, by internationalizing our collections," Lee said. "We need more collections on other parts of the world. This endowment will help us do our part to meet that objective."