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Campus Q & A

Sheree Willis, Kansas Asia Scholars China Program director; assistant director of Kansas Asia Community Connection.

Years at current job: About three and a half.

Job duties: I manage the China group of the Kansas Asia Scholars program. This includes working with the students to prepare them for the trip, designing and leading the study tour and guiding students on their service learning projects after we return. For the Kansas Asia Communicacy Connection, I gather information on the agricultural and rural dimensions of the linkages between Kansas and East Asia (China, Japan and Korea) and present that information to the public on our Web site at AsiaKan.org, printed publications and through projects jointly sponsored with other organizations. I also work on a project we have launched to set up exchanges between high schools in our region and schools in China.

What's the biggest challenge facing your department right now? Keeping up with the huge public and student interest in East Asia, particularly in China.

Other professional?xperience: I was a Foreign Service Officer for the U.S. Department of State for eight years and served in Tunis, Shanghai, Beijing and Kuala Lumpur. I also worked as a freelance Mandarin/English interpreter and consultant for over a decade.

How was the trip to China (in which KU signed a memorandum of cooperation to develop the country's third Confucius Institute)? The trip was very productive. KU is developing a range of linkages in China that will provide greater opportunities for our faculty and students.

Did you work as a translator on the trip or more as a representative of KU? I participated in the Governor's mission as a representative of KU, and I also interpreted for the provost and for the governor, including her remarks at a banquet she hosted in Beijing.

What issues do you deal with most? My focus is on helping others understand East Asia, especially China.

What aspects of your job might others not realize you're involved with? In addition to working with KU students, an activity that I enjoy very much, I also frequently work on helping others develop relationships in China that will become mutually beneficial partnerships.

What do you think a Confucius Institute should mean to KU? A Confucius Institute at KU, as one of only a handful of Confucius Institutes in the United States, would be prestigious and would enhance KU's capacity to bring training in Chinese language and culture to communities beyond the university.

Copyright 2005, an official employee publication from the Office of University Relations.