University Advancement
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Alumni Relations
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Philanthropy in Action
See how many small gifts to the UMass Boston Fund made a big difference for Professor Peter Kiang.
Paper Bag Promise
When Professor Peter Kiang received the 2007 Chancellor's Distinguished Teaching Award at the June 2007commencement, he recognized that his development during the past two decades of the strongest Asian American studies program in the region would not have been possible without the steady financial support of individual donors.
He recalls that in 1992, for example, ten percent of all donors to the university contributed to support the expansion of the program. One alumna at the time was so grateful for having learned about Asian American history and her own Cambodian refugee roots that she began saving small amounts of cash each week and eventually handed Kiang a paper bag filled with bills totaling $1,000.
Today, this alumna is a successful entrepreneur in Lowell and continues to support the Asian American Studies Program. She is joined by many others, including one generous donor this past year who enabled an entire class of Asian American studies students to spend spring break on the Gulf Coast working on post-Katrina Vietnamese-community rebuilding projects. According to Kiang, "such philanthropic reciprocity is powerful. The community invests in our program while our teaching is an investment in the future of the community."
Above: Peter Kiang
Right: UMass Boston students who worked on Vietnamese community rebuilding projects in spring '07