| International Center Wing Named for Delia Koo | |||
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Delia Koo says she knows she can't help the whole world, but there are many folks at MSU who think she's come pretty close.
In recognition of Koo as an educator, benefactor, and humanitarian, the MSU Board of Trustees on November 10, 2000, adopted a resolution to name the academic wing of the International Center the "Delia Koo International Academic Center." Through a recent major endowment to MSU, Delia Koo has made possible a third-floor addition to the academic wing of the International Center. A ceremony commemorating the endowment and the naming of the Delia Koo International Academic Center was held November 24 at the International Center. The event was attended by Koo's family as well as numerous MSU faculty members, administrators, and Trustee Dolores Cook. MSU President Peter McPherson expressed the university's appreciation of Koo and her gift, saying, "Delia Koo is a remarkable person worthy of honor. You only need to look at the scope of her contributions and what they allow MSU to accomplish to see that while she focuses on her passion for helping international students, she also is helping MSU continue to grow in one of the key aspects of its mission-international studies and the creation of worthwhile global experiences for our students." Born in China, Koo was schooled at home in classical Chinese until age 10 when her family moved to Shanghai. There she enrolled in St. Mary's Hall, a boarding school operated by Episcopalian missionaries. Six years later, she enrolled in the Episcopalian-run St. John's University, where she received a baccalaureate degree. Both she and her husband Anthony came to the United States to pursue graduate studies-she on the last passenger ship out of Shanghai in the midst of World War II. She earned both master's and doctoral degrees in English at Harvard's sister institution, Radcliffe College, where she was both an Evans Fellow and an Anne Radcliffe Fellow.
Delia Koo's relationship with MSU began when Anthony took a faculty position here. Delia decided to pursue a master's degree in mathematics, which she completed in 1954. She subsequently published two books in the math field, taught for nearly 20 years at Eastern Michigan University, and became actively involved in the Mathematical Association of America, where she once held the position of governor of the Michigan section. She has made notable contributions to MSU's international mission and to helping international students over the years. Chief among them was her creation in 1983 of the Volunteer English Tutoring Program (VETP), an effort she continues to coordinate. What began as Koo's impromptu effort to help several Korean students struggling with the English language has blossomed into a program that has served thousands of international students from all over the world.
The 10,000-square-foot expansion of the International Center will provide classrooms and an office for the VETP. Additional space will be provided for new and existing academic programs, such as the Delia Koo Global Faculty, the Delia Koo Global Scholars, the Study Abroad Scholars, and visiting faculty programs, as well as the Asian Studies Center and the Office for International Students and Scholars. "Dr. Koo's gift couldn't be better designed to move MSU's international program efforts into the 21st century," said John Hudzik, dean of International Studies and Programs. "MSU's renewed growth to further internationalize curriculum, research, and outreach is desperately in need of more space, and her longstanding support for scholarships and faculty development are also very welcome. I think we will look back on this gift 10 or 20 years from now and say it was the key contributor to jump-starting a new age of international activity at MSU. We are grateful beyond measure for her generosity, and her foresight will be remembered by MSU and generations of its students to come." -Adapted from the November 22, 2000, MSU News Bulletin article by Carla Freed, and an MSU Today article by Rick Seguin |
