The Freeman Asian Scholars Program

by John Driscoll ’62, Alumni Director, University Relations

Many good ideas start with colleges and universities asking foundations to support what the schools want to do. In 1993 and 1994, Wesleyan alumnus Houghton “Buck” Freeman ’43 approached Wesleyan with the idea of bringing Asian students to Wesleyan for four years of liberal arts education. Mr. Freeman, along with his wife Doreen and son Graeme ’77, ran the Freeman Foundation, established by Mr. Freeman’s father, the late Mansfield Freeman ’16, a cofounder of AIG Insurance and a longtime supporter of Wesleyan’s East Asian Studies Center. The Freeman’s broad but simple purpose was to foster better understanding between the United States and Asia. Mr. Freeman has noted that during the 20th century, the United States fought three major wars in Asia (World War II, Korea, and Vietnam), and that these conflicts were in part due to misunderstanding. Their vision was that by bringing able students here from Asia, the students would get a deeper understanding of U.S. culture and, in turn, would provide Wesleyan students with a better understanding of Asia. The hope is that over time an expanding cadre will be positioned to contribute to U.S.–Asia relations as well as to relationships among Asian countries.

The Freemans chose Wesleyan partly because three generations of their family were alumni. But in addition, and more importantly, they valued the affirming culture and appreciation for diversity that has long marked Wesleyan’s history. They were confident that Asian students would be welcome at Wesleyan. The first class of Freeman Scholars began attending Wesleyan in the fall of 1995 and graduated in 1999. The first countries and regions participating included China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. The 11th participant, Vietnam, was added in fall 2001. About 160 alumni have graduated, and today there are roughly 88 Freeman Scholars on campus (two per country for four years) at any given time. It seems fair to say the Freeman Program has helped also to boost Wesleyan’s overall international student population by drawing other Asian students to Wesleyan, and by encouraging Wesleyan to support need–based financial aid to international students from other parts of the world.

Wesleyan’s investment of hospitality to international students has been rewarded by a growing body of alumni who carry a strong loyalty to Wesleyan as they settle around the world after graduation.