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| Michael Gilligan, center in the second row, president of the Henry Luce Foundation, poses with Ewha Womans University professors and 21 participants of the Ewha-Luce International Seminar: Expanding Horizons, a newly launched program with the support of the foundation, at the school's campus in Seoul, June 30. / Courtesy of Ewha Womans University |
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| Michael Gilligan, president of the Henry Luce Foundation |
Michael Gilligan, president of the Henry Luce Foundation, one of the largest founders of Southeast Asian studies in the United States, has called on Korea to cultivate female talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
"It is a big problem that women are still underrepresented in sciences both in the United States and Korea despite having an advanced educational system where women have been admitted to universities for many years," he said. "This isn't just a problem for women, but for everyone, in that the sciences are not as strong without more women."
He stressed the importance of woman power as they can bring diversity to the science and technology fields.
"Diversity has to do with innovation. In a diverse society, there are tensions but there are more possibilities and change," Gilligan said. "I also think that women have particularly history unlike men in networking."
The Luce foundation, established in 1936 by Henry R.Luce, co-founder and editor in chief of Time magazine, has been offering grant programs with the largest percentage of them going to universities and colleges.
President Gilligan served at the Association of Theological Schools (ATS) and as a teacher and administrator in the Catholic Diocese of Columbus before being elected foundation president in 2002. He was also chairman of the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia.
He emphasized that young girls should be given opportunities to become engineers, scientists or even president, rather than only a mother, a teacher or a nurse and be confident to realize those dreams.
"I know that the Korean government, the Ministry of Education, tries to support opportunities for girls to have experiences in science and math, but it is important for them to have those images from an early age," he said. "Early intervention can change the world."
The president also said that there should be social support for women who missed their chance to pursue education in their early 20s to continue their studies or develop careers in their mid years.
"Obviously there should be support for a work and life balance for women so that they can care for their children and pursue education or careers," Gilligan said, adding that women have been one of the forces for the nation's rapid growth in all sectors since the 1960s.
Citing the American organization Emily's List that was founded to provide financial support to women candidates for political office, Gilligan stressed that every available talented person should have an opportunity to contribute to the development of the nation.
He did not forget to urge men to change their attitudes for gender equity.
Partnership with Korean institution
The reason why Gilligan has been interested in women's issues including nurturing female talent especially in the science field is that the foundation has offered grant-making programs for women in STEM fields for 75 years.
The foundation distributes $40 million per year in grants in six areas ― Asian studies, American art, theology, public policy, leadership studies and women in sciences. Marking its 75th anniversary, the foundation looked for a partner in East Asia to create a new opportunity for women in STEM to have an international experience and decided to provide $1.5 million to Ewha Womans University in Korea to support its new summer program called the Ewha-Luce International Seminar: Expanding Horizons.
This three-year program is for women in STEM which will take place on the Ewha campus from this year. "We chose Korea because of the explosive growth of education and technology here, making the country a world leader," Gilligan said. "And, after a competitive process, we chose Ewha on the grounds of its historical interest in the development of women's leadership."
Given that the program participants are not necessarily all Ewha Womans University students or even Koreans, the program could provide a forum where women of diverse nationalities in the STEM field meet each other and build networks.
"One of the most important components of the success of women in STEM disciplines in the future will be international understanding," Gilligan said.
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