As part of its mission to produce globally engaged graduates, Cal State Fullerton promoted its Asian American Studies Program to department status this month.

“The approval of the Asian American studies’ proposal to change its status from program to department sends a clear message to students and the community that Asian American studies is an essential part of a CSUF liberal education,” said Eliza Noh, professor of Asian American studies and the department’s inaugural chair. “Asian American studies critically contributes to a university education by preparing students to thrive as globally engaged citizens.”

The change involved no additional costs or resources.

Asian American studies started in 1996 as an interdisciplinary minor and free-standing program. From 1997 to 2017, 90 students earned a bachelor’s in ethnic studies-Asian American studies, 29 students completed the minor and 6,389 non-ethnic studies majors enrolled in Asian American studies courses, according to the university.

Asian American studies was pivotal in the launch of CSUF’s Asian Pacific American Resource Center and continues to partner with such groups as the Orange County Asian and Pacific Islander Community Alliance, Korean Resource Center, Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Orange County and Vietnamese American Arts & Letters Association.

In the fall 2017 semester, 20.5 percent of CSUF’s student body identified as Asian and 0.2 percent as Pacific Islander.

Students to present research on disordered eating, recovery

Shayna La Scala, a senior human services major and McNair Scholar, will present a poster on “Psychological and Academic Outcomes of College Students in Recovery,” based on research she conducted with Yuying Tsong, associate professor of human services, at this month’s

National Conference for McNair Scholars and Undergraduate Research at the University of Maryland.

At the Association of Women in Psychology annual convention in Philadelphia this month, Tsong and Rebekah Smart, professor of counseling, will team with psychology grad student Alexandria Dilley and counseling grad students Shuo Coco Wang and Melissa Ward to present two papers on eating disorders among Asian American women: “A Qualitative Exploration of Help-Seeking Facilitators for Asian American Women With Disordered Eating Concerns” and “Asian American Women Healing From Disordered Eating: A Qualitative Study.”

Faculty publish on filmmaker, surrealism, Tibetans

An indie filmmaker, surrealism in architecture and the Tibetan language are topics of recent publications by faculty members.

“Kelly Reichardt: Emergency and the Everyday,” a new book co-authored by Nicole Seymour, assistant professor of English, comparative literature and linguistics is a portrait of an indie filmmaker preoccupied with how environmental and economic crises affect those living on society’s fringes.

Shawn Wang, professor of computer science, was editor of Vol. 1 and 2 of the book “Current Trends in Computer Science and Mechanical Automation,” released in January by De Gruyter online publishing.

Jason Shepard, chair and associate professor of communications, authored the essay “Academic Freedom and Recent Campus Free Expression Controversies” published online Jan. 12 in Journalism & Mass Communication Educator.

Nawang Phuntsog, associate professor of elementary and bilingual education, authored “Tibetan Language at Home in the Diaspora: The Mother Tongue-Based Bilingual Schooling of Tibetans in India,” published online Nov. 21 in the journal Diaspora, Indigenous and Minority Education; and “Tibetan/English Code-Switching Practices in the Tibetan Diaspora Classrooms: Perceptions of Select Sixth Grade Teachers,” published online Sept. 19 in the International Journal of Multilingualism.

Bryan Cantley, professor of art, contributed to “Celebrating the Marvellous: Surrealism in Architecture,” which explores the power and influence of surrealism. The book will be released this spring.

Grand Central Art Center announces new support group

Eighteen people have been named to a new support group formed by Grand Central Art Center.

The group is tasked with relationship building — working toward greater support, connection and awareness of the center’s outreach programs, residencies and exhibitions.

The Director’s Circle comprises supportive, engaged and outside-the-box Orange County thinkers, said the center, which is a partnership between the university and the city of Santa Ana.

Director’s Circle members are: Alessandra Caldana, Manny Escamilla, Richard Espinachio, Amy Fox, Matthew Gush, Sofia Gutierrez, Aaron Jones, Monica Jovanovich, Lane Macy Kiefaber, Ruthie Linnert, Susie Lopez-Guerra, Greg Nowacki, Louie Perez, Juliana Rico, Joanna Roche, Karen Stocker, Jonathan Webb and Kellie Stockdale Webb.