Western Illinois University President Guiyou Huang has been named to the non-partisan leadership organization, Committee of 100.
The organization is composed of approximately 130 extraordinary Chinese Americans in business, government, education and the arts. Mr. Huang was recently inducted at the Committee’s annual conference in Washington, D.C.
According to the Committee of 100 website, the organization was founded in 1988 by renowned architect, the late I.M. Pei, and U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. When Mr. Pei was inundated with reporter inquiries seeking his reaction as an influential Chinese American to the Tiananmen Square events in 1989, Mr. Pei partnered with cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Henry S. Tang, Oscar Tang, Shirley Young and Chien-Shiung Wu to recruit distinguished Chinese Americans to serve on a committee to represent Chinese Americans.
American citizens of Chinese heritage are invited to join the Committee of 100 based on their achievements, with members being recognized as pioneers in their respective field.
“It is a distinct honor to be asked to join this elite organization to represent Chinese Americans across the United States,” Mr. Huang said. “I’m humbled to be a part of the Committee of 100. I look forward to joining my colleagues from across the nation to promote constructive dialogues and engagement between the United States and China, collaborate between American and Chinese universities and help cultivate the next generation of Chinese American leaders.”
The committee’s mission is to promote the full participation of all Chinese Americans in American society and act as a public policy resource for the Chinese-American community, and advance constructive dialogue and relationships between peoples and leaders of the U.S. and greater China.
Mr. Huang was inaugurated as WIU’s 12th president in a ceremony Thursday, March 31, that was delayed more than a year due to COVID-19. He took over the university’s helm on Jan. 1, 2021.
