Faculty Advocate Profile

 

Wing-kai To, Ph.D.

Currently as a professor of history and coordinator of the Asian Studies Program, I have been involved in global studies and multiculturalism in my scholarship and service since I joined Bridgewater State College in 1997. Growing up in Hong Kong and coming to the US two decades ago as an international graduate student in California and then with a brief sojourn in Minnesota before settling down in Massachusetts as a naturalized US citizen, I have come to appreciate the rewards and challenges of cross cultural experiences in my academic career. I am passionate about support for all international faculty members and faculty of color to nurture an inclusive, diverse, and vigorous academic environment on campus. I am glad to become a member of the Faculty Advocacy Network to provide support for international faculty to seek non-resident work visa or permanent residency status, help them adjust to a different cultural environment, and work with diverse faculty and student groups.

My academic interests relate to history in areas of East Asian studies, Asian American Studies, and global migrations. I acquired my undergraduate and graduate degrees from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the University of California at Davis. I have been particularly active in developing international study tours of China and Japan as well as student exchange partnerships to provide international experience for our students. I always love to talk to faculty who would like to develop international content or study tours in their curriculum. In addition, I have worked closely with many faculty members in the Asian Studies program and have been involved in various campus initiatives such as the Diversity Council, the Global Studies Council, and the Engaged Student Learning Task Force. My research focuses on both local history of southern China and Chinese American history in New England. I wrote a book about the Chinese in Boston and have done research on Chinese and Japanese students in early New England, including the first Japanese student, a well-known educator, who studied at Bridgewater in the 1870s.

Phone:    508.531.2401  or 508.531.1388

Email:    wto@bridgew.edu 

 

 

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Last Modified: January 21, 2009