Southeast Asia Consortium Secures Grant

The State University of New York and City University of New York (SUNY/CUNY) are recipients of the Henry Luce Foundation’s LuceSEAC multi-year grant in the amount of $550,000 to support the study of Southeast Asia in higher education. SUNY New Paltz Associate Professor Lauren Meeker is one of 10 SUNY/CUNY faculty members responsible for securing the grant and establishing the the newly-created Southeast Asia Consortium (SEAC). The consortium is a New York state-wide contingent with a goal to link faculty, students, alumni, and surrounding communities with resources for teaching and research. A few of the consortium’s immediate priorities include enhancing scholarly materials and expanding professional collaborations within New York, as well as across the United States and Southeast Asia.

To further their goal, SEAC has adopted a signature annual theme that will help to focus their support of teaching and research. The theme for the current academic year (2023-24), “Sites and Spaces of Mobilization and Protest,” generated the Spring semester one-credit course titled “Sites and Spaces of Mobilization in Southeast Asia,” which is open to all SUNY and CUNY students. The application deadline for the spring class is January 16, 2023, and interested students may register online or contact co-instructors Benjamin Tausig (Stony Brook University) or Nerve Macaspac (Queens College/Graduate Center) with any questions.

Additional SEAC offerings include an annual workshop, followed by a week-long experiential field school, both of which are open to SUNY and CUNY students. For this academic year, the field school will take place in Thailand over the winter break and follow the annual theme of Sites and Spaces of Mobilization.

The SEAC newsletter provides links to educational and professional resources accessible to all students regardless of their participation in the class or workshop. The SEAC newsletter and website serve as living repositories for networking and educational information useful to students and faculty alike. Those interested in subscribing to the newsletter may join the SEAC mailing list online.

Upcoming themes for future academic years include “Southeast Asian Identities in Popular Culture and Literature” (2024-25) and “Climate Change, Sustainability and Geography” (2025-26.)

Additional resources, along with event information and network opportunities, are available on the SEAC website.