Tri-Co LIASE: Cross- and Intra-Institutional Collaboration to Build and Sustain Student-Focused Embedded Study in Asia

In this paper, Swarthmore College and Bryn Mawr College faculty and administrators share reflections on the Luce Initiative on Asian Studies and the Environment (LIASE) grants from the Henry Luce Foundation for the enhancement of curriculum on Asia and the environment and the cultivation of collaborations between US and Asian institutions. Supported by LIASE exploration grants in 2013 and a LIASE implementation grant awarded to the Tri-College Consortium of Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore Colleges in 2015, curricular innovations included the creation of courses with travel components and the introduction of topics on Asia and the environment across disciplines. Topics of discussion include fostering curricular innovation and interdisciplinarity across academic divisions; building effective and sustainable collaborations with local institutions in Asia; forging strategic partnerships with administrators in grants, advancement, and finance; leveraging institutional relationships to secure funding to pilot and sustain initiatives; and the importance of reciprocity in building long-term, cross-cultural exchanges.