MESSAGE FROM PROFESSOR JOSEPH WONG, DIRECTOR OF THE ASIAN INSTITUTEIt is with great happiness that I announce the appointment of Professor Rachel Silvey as interim Director of the David Chu program in Asia Pacific Studies. Professor Silvey is no stranger to those of us involved at the Asian Institute and Asian studies more generally. Rachel is an Associate Professor in the Geography department. She received her PhD from the University of Washington (Seattle) and prior to joining us at U of Toronto, Professor Silvey taught at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her research centers on gender, migration and economic development in Southeast Asia with a specific focus on Indonesia. She has published widely and has just returned from a year-long sabbatical in Southeast Asia. In the short time (i.e. since July) that Professor Silvey has occupied the Directorship, she has already pro-actively looked to strengthen our teaching programs, the academic programming calendar and the Chu program’s engagement with students. I’m thrilled that Rachel is on board.I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Ito Peng for all her tremendous work and vision as the previous Director of the Chu program. Under her Directorship, the Chu program initiated several new projects aimed at broadening the reach of Asian studies at U of T (i.e. the popular and critically acclaimed food conference) as well enriching our students’ learning experiences. Indeed, it was under her guidance that students from the capstone ASI 400 course were able to win an international course module grant from the Faculty of Arts and Science which saw 15 students travel to Seoul, South Korea, to meet with and interview academics, think tank researchers, politicians, politicians and social movement activists. Best of luck, Ito, with your future endeavors.