Kevin Chun, the University of San Francisco's first tenured Asian-American psychology professor, and several colleagues founded the University of San Francisco's Asian American Studies Program in 2000 to increase the campus's awareness of Asian-American issues.
"We wanted to create a new discourse on the campus and in the community," he says.
The program, which Chun has directed since 2004, melds psychology, philosophy, literature and other disciplines to focus on the concepts and realities that impact Asian-American identity and culture. In particular, students explore how Asian Americans have advocated for more inclusive laws and social policies.
The program-which offers an undergraduate minor degree and aims to add an undergraduate major-has sparked an increased interest in and dialogue on Asian-American film, literature and philosophy on campus, Chun says.
As an associate professor, Chun conducts community-based research on Asian-American family acculturation processes and their relationship to health and psychosocial adjustment.
