Despite the intense rivalry between USC and UCLA during the
football season, a variety of research projects unite the two
universities throughout the year.
The USC-UCLA Joint Center for East Asian Studies has been
bringing together faculty from the two universities for over 25
years to promote East Asian studies.
The center is a collaboration between USC and UCLA to provide
funding for scholarships, library books and regional seminars, as
well as training programs for elementary and secondary school
teachers working in fields relating to the study of East Asia.
Between the two campuses, about 15 full scholarships are given
each year to graduate students, and more than 20 students per year
receive funding to pursue studies on East Asia, said Clayton Dube,
assistant director of the center.
The center also holds a two-week summer institute where teachers
come to UCLA to study a subject regarding East Asia. This
summer’s topic will be the dynamics of the Asian family.
Originally, faculty from USC, UCLA and Claremont McKenna College
worked together on the Southern California Japanese Seminar, a
precursor to the East Asian studies center.
“None of us had great depth in the field,” said Fred
Notehelfer, a history professor and director of the center at UCLA
from its beginnings in 1975 to the 1990s. “So we worked
together and helped each other.”
UCLA had intended to open its own center for East Asian studies
but decided to collaborate with other schools to finance the
project during tough budgetary times, Notehelfer said.
Faculty from USC and UCLA applied for collaborative funding so
UCLA could support its library with a large East Asian collection
that dates back to World War II and USC could fund a Korean studies
program.
The center has since enabled the two schools to receive grants
in research and scholarships as well as develop East Asian-related
events.
“The joint center has reflected the development of East
Asian studies and stimulated its growth on the two campuses for
over a quarter of a century,” Dube said.
Another center created in collaboration by USC and UCLA is the
USC/UCLA Center on Biodemography and Population Health.
The center supports research on the health status of populations
and the expected life cycles of individuals.
With locations at both USC and UCLA, the center links faculty
from both schools and various disciplines such as biology,
economics, psychology and public policy in an effort to understand
demographic trends and population health.
USC and UCLA share resources, work on similar projects, and
share data sites, said Eileen Crimmins, director of the center.
“The center is interdisciplinary, and with two schools,
you can find a significant group of people with expertise on any
topic,” Crimmins said.
UCLA and USC researchers have also worked together on other
projects, including a study of 5,000 L.A. community college
students to identify patterns of transfer retention.
In the study, staff from both universities collaborated on
research projects, attended meetings on the two campuses, and
co-authored papers.