CLAS News Release—August 19, 2009

UI names Tang to Stanley / Hua-Hsia Chair of Chinese Culture and Institutions

The University of Iowa has appointed Wenfang Tang to the C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley and Hua-Hsia Chair of Chinese Culture and Institutions. He will begin his appointment in the UI Department of Political Science on August 19.

“I am delighted that Professor Tang will be joining our Department of Political Science, with its distinguished tradition in comparative politics,” said Linda Maxson, dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Professor Tang will also join a strong interdisciplinary faculty group across the college and university whose research and teaching focus on Chinese studies.”

A scholar with wide-ranging interests in Chinese society, economics and politics, Tang has published groundbreaking studies that demonstrate the substantial role of public opinion in China. His work is based on survey research on the views and aspirations of Chinese citizens and involves comparisons of China with other societies.

The endowed Stanley/Hua Hsia chair in Chinese Studies was created with a gift from the Stanley Foundation of Muscatine, Iowa, in honor of C. Maxwell and Elizabeth M. Stanley, longtime benefactors of the university and the Museum of Art, and with a gift from the Hua Hsia Investment Holding Company of Taiwan and its chairwoman, Teresa Chou, who received her doctorate in journalism from the UI.

“Professor Tang’s appointment is part of our commitment to internationalize the university in its teaching, research, and outreach missions,” said Downing Thomas, associate provost for International Programs. “I know that the interdisciplinary faculty group in our Center for Asian and Pacific Studies looks forward to welcoming him to campus.”

Tang’s most recent book is “Public Opinion and Civil Society” (National Sun Yat-Sen University Press, 2008). He is also the author of “Public Opinion and Political Change in China” (Stanford University Press, 2005), “Chinese Urban Life under Market Reform: The Changing Social Contract” (co-authored with William Parish, Cambridge University Press, 2000), and “Who Should Rule? Enterprise Decision Making in Contemporary China” (Oxford University Press, 1996). He has edited three additional books and written dozens of book chapters and articles in academic journals.

Tang received his doctorate from the University of Chicago in 1990. He comes to The University of Iowa from a position as professor of political science and co-director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Pittsburgh. His research has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, the Freeman Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He has been interviewed by or contributed commentary to a wide range of international media, including National Public Radio, CNN, Reuters, Agence France Presse, the LA Times and CBS News.