MADISON, Wis. — A group of Hmong-American undergraduates is pushing administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to hire more faculty who study the ethnic group and to launch a program through which students can earn a certificate in Hmong-American studies.
The Wisconsin State Journal reports that several students of Southeast Asian descent formed the Hmong-American Studies Committee. The group envisions a program focusing on “Hmong-Americans in America today” and seeks courses on culture, educational policy, history and social welfare.
The committee also wants the university to open a Hmong cultural center on campus, similar to a hub for Black students that is opening this semester.
It’ll be hard to make the students’ idea a reality as state budget cuts have led some of the university’s departments to slash jobs.
