Helen Foster Snow Cultural Center Celebrates Its Second Anniversary
Published: November 21, 2024 | Author: Jacob Carr | Read Time: 2 minutes
Southern Utah University’s Helen Foster Snow Cultural Center (HFSCC) celebrated its second anniversary with a cultural celebration on Nov. 12. The event was attended by members of SUU’s student body, faculty, and larger campus community. The celebration included videos about Helen Foster Snow, traditional music, and a presentation by Keynote Speaker Dr. Krista Van Fleit, associate professor of Chinese Literature and Language at the University of South Carolina.
The Helen Foster Snow Cultural Center was founded in 2022 as a result of a bill passed in the Utah State Legislature to establish a center in Southern Utah to support the study of Mandarin Chinese and provide cultural experiences for students and community members. Dr. Wen Ouyang serves as the executive director of the Center.
“One of the motivating factors for the Utah Legislature starting the HFSCC is because Utah citizens value acquiring a second language,” said Associate Vice President of International Affairs Stephen Allen. “In addition, having a citizenry fluent in a variety of languages helps with national security, commerce and trade, enhanced employment, and cultural competency.”
The Center is named after Cedar City native Helen Foster Snow, a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated journalist who paved the way for US-China relations in the mid-twentieth century. Though Snow died in 1997, her legacy lives on through the Cultural Center and the various programs it sponsors including Mandarin Chinese classes at SUU and both of Cedar City’s high schools.
“To carry on Helen's spirit and legacy, the Center has provided opportunities for students, faculty, and community to engage with Asia,” said Dr. Wen Ouyang. “This has cultivated diverse and cultural educational experiences, and exposed SUU's unique qualities to our international partners in China, India, Korea, Vietnam, and Japan.”
The second-anniversary celebration, hosted in the Great Hall of the Hunter Alumni Center, allowed faculty, staff, students, and community members to celebrate Helen’s legacy and the Center’s accomplishments over the past two years. The keynote speaker for the celebration was the University of South Carolina's Dr. Krista Van Fleit who spoke on film exchange and cultural production between China and India in the years following China’s cultural revolution.
The celebration also included video presentations on the life of Helen Foster Snow, traditional Chinese and Indian music performances by SUU students, and updates on the extensive work the HFSCC has done to bring Mandarin Chinese programs into Cedar City middle and high schools.
A full recording of the celebration can be found on SUULive’s Youtube page. Those wishing to learn more can visit the center located in the Office of International Affairs at SUU. For further questions about the Helen Foster Snow Cultural Cultural Center contact Dr. Wen Ouyang at ouyangw@suu.edu.
Tags: Campus Student College of Humanities and Social Sciences Languages and Philosophy International Affairs Community
Contact Information:
Brooke Heath
4355865400
brookeheath1@suu.edu