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LEWISTON — When Ngan Dinh, Bates College class of ’02, asked Bill Hiss to help create the first liberal arts college in Vietnam, it was an irresistible invitation. Retired from Bates as dean of admissions and financial aid, he traveled to Vietnam last March to help create those offices at the new Fulbright University Vietnam.
He will share his experience at the USM LAC Senior College’s Food For Thought luncheon Friday, Sept 14.
Hiss and his wife Colleen first met Ngan when she was in high school. Relationships between the United States and Vietnam had improved, and students were being offered the opportunity to study at American colleges. Ngan was the first student from Vietnam to study at Bates. She then earned her master’s degree at the University of Chicago and her doctorate at Cambridge University. Returning to Vietnam, she was a professor in a graduate Fulbright program in public policy. Now she is the founding dean of the undergraduate college in the new university.
The government in Vietnam set aside 70 acres of land, and with further support including funds from the United States, Fulbright University Vietnam will open this Fall with 50 students, gradually expanding to 2000. What is it like to build a university “from scratch,” particularly in a country only one generation removed from a war zone?
There are now more than 25 Vietnamese students who have studied at Bates. The “Where It All Began” photo shows Hiss speaking to then high school junior Ngan’s class on American higher education. Seed money from Bates helped establish VietAbroader, a program to disseminate information to high schools in Vietnam about international education. It now has 30,000 members.
Doors will open at 11:30 a.m., and the program will begin at noon. Food for Thought luncheons take place in room 170 at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus, 50 Westminster St. The public is invited to attend all Food for Thought presentations. If you wish to have lunch, the cost is $8, and an advanced reservation is required. To reserve, call 207-753-6510 before noon on the Wednesday before the luncheon. Food may also be purchased at the campus café.
PHOTO: Bill Hiss helps plan Fulbright University, Vietnam. (Submitted photo)
