March 15, 2022
Dear Friends, Colleagues, and Community,
The time has come for me to step down as executive director of the Asian American / Asian Research Institute. I have delayed my departure for nearly two years because it was imperative to support our Asian American faculty, staff and students during the twin crisis of the pandemic and the horrific, violent and murderous attacks against our community. It was also important to ensure that AAARI did not lose an inch of ground in the hard-fought effort to elevate Asian American issues at CUNY.
While the attacks have not subsided, over the past two years, we have witnessed a call to action among the CUNY Asian American community. Many new faces have stepped up to lead the charge. The emergence of this strong and vocal new leadership gives me confidence that the concerns of Asian Americans at CUNY and the broader community will be invisible no more.
The decision to step down was a difficult one, as AAARI entered its 20th year in November, a cause for huge celebration. 2022 also marks the 40th anniversary of the killing of Vincent Chin, the 80th anniversary of the signing of Executive Order 9066, interning Japanese Americans, and the 140th anniversary of the Chinese Exclusion Act. It highlights for me that after over 50 years of fighting for Asian American Studies at CUNY, there is still not a single Asian American Studies department or major at CUNY, even as the community continues to grow.
There is still much work to be done. However, we can be proud of our accomplishments. Our work raised awareness of the complete lack of Asian American representation in the highest ranks of leadership at CUNY (see Asian American Leadership in CUNY and Higher Education: Findings, Recommendations & Accountability). In 2020, CUNY made historic appointments of two Asian American college presidents, David Wu at Baruch College and Frank Wu at Queens College under the leadership of Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez whose own appointment at CUNY is historic. We have also witnessed the appointment of an Asian American Dean at the CUNY School of Law.
AAARI and its current and past Board members, have been engaged in facilitating the formation of Asian American Faculty and Staff Associations across CUNY campuses to help support one another, and to amplify concerns particularly about our student community. We have also established an Asian American Leadership Pipeline group to mentor and provide a forum for Asian American faculty and staff interested in exploring future leadership positions. We particularly want to thank Trustee Kevin Kim for his encouragement and support of the Pipeline group.
All of this and more, was made possible because of CUNY’s faculty, staff, students, and the broader community. I owe an enduring gratitude to AAARI’s Board members past and present; the Tam family; the incomparable staff, Antony Wong, William Tam and Zhu-Hui Wu; Russell Leong, editor of our CUNY FORUM journal and all of you for your support. I am also grateful to my colleagues on the University Advisory Council on Diversity for their commitment to true diversity, equity, and inclusion, and for the privilege of serving alongside them. Thank you to the wonderful and accomplished alumni and leaders who have supported AAARI.
In closing, I say, “Thank you for the opportunity to serve.”
Best wishes,
Joyce
“Joyce Moy has been an advocate for Asian and Asian Americans in higher education for decades, and her outstanding work has been of great benefit to so many people.” – Frank H. Wu, President, Queens College/CUNY: Read More
