Princeton-in-Asia
Encyclopedia
Princeton in Asia is a nonprofit organization that helps recent college graduates
obtain yearlong jobs with educational institutions, businesses, media organizations, and NGOs throughout Asia
. It is among the better-known organizations of its kind; the New York Times has characterized it as being similar to programs such as the Japan Exchange and Teaching program, the Peace Corps
, and WorldTeach
. PiA is an independent affiliate of Princeton University
, and only about half of the PiA fellows in recent years have been Princeton alumni.
PiA's roots reach back to 1898, when a group of Princeton undergraduates founded "Princeton in Peking" in support of the YMCA
in Beijing
. Among the best known of the participants was Sidney D. Gamble
. Its name was changed to the "Princeton-Yenching Foundation" in 1923. In 1949, China
closed its doors to the organization, which turned its efforts towards other parts of Asia and renamed itself "Princeton in Asia" in 1955. (PiA has since reestablished a large presence in China.) PiA hired its first full-time executive director in 1970, and the organization grew dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2010, PiA placed 165 fellows in eighteen countries, including Cambodia, China/Hong Kong, Timor-Leste, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Princeton-in-Asia is no longer a missionary organization, but as former PiA executive director Carrie Gordon remarked in 1998, "our mission statement written in 1911 hasn't changed." That mission statement is
, Hunan
, China. It was founded by a Princeton student in 2005 and is sponsored by Princeton in Asia.
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
obtain yearlong jobs with educational institutions, businesses, media organizations, and NGOs throughout Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. It is among the better-known organizations of its kind; the New York Times has characterized it as being similar to programs such as the Japan Exchange and Teaching program, the Peace Corps
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an American volunteer program run by the United States Government, as well as a government agency of the same name. The mission of the Peace Corps includes three goals: providing technical assistance, helping people outside the United States to understand US culture, and helping...
, and WorldTeach
WorldTeach
WorldTeach is a non-governmental organization that provides opportunities for individuals to make a meaningful contribution to international education by living and working as volunteer teachers in developing countries. Founded in 1986 by a group of Harvard University students, WorldTeach places...
. PiA is an independent affiliate of Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
, and only about half of the PiA fellows in recent years have been Princeton alumni.
PiA's roots reach back to 1898, when a group of Princeton undergraduates founded "Princeton in Peking" in support of the YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
in Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. Among the best known of the participants was Sidney D. Gamble
Sidney D. Gamble
Sidney D. Gamble was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to David Berry and Mary Huggins Gamble; grandson of James Gamble, who, with William Procter, founded Procter & Gamble in 1837. in 1912 he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Literature degree and was elected to Phi...
. Its name was changed to the "Princeton-Yenching Foundation" in 1923. In 1949, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
closed its doors to the organization, which turned its efforts towards other parts of Asia and renamed itself "Princeton in Asia" in 1955. (PiA has since reestablished a large presence in China.) PiA hired its first full-time executive director in 1970, and the organization grew dramatically in the 1970s and 1980s. In 2010, PiA placed 165 fellows in eighteen countries, including Cambodia, China/Hong Kong, Timor-Leste, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Laos, Mongolia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Princeton-in-Asia is no longer a missionary organization, but as former PiA executive director Carrie Gordon remarked in 1998, "our mission statement written in 1911 hasn't changed." That mission statement is
Summer of Service
Summer of Service ("SOS") is an annual English immersion program held during the summer at the Normal College of Jishou University in JishouJishou
Jishou is a county-level city and the seat of Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Hunan province of thePeople's Republic of China.-History:...
, Hunan
Hunan
' is a province of South-Central China, located to the south of the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and south of Lake Dongting...
, China. It was founded by a Princeton student in 2005 and is sponsored by Princeton in Asia.