EAST LANSING, Mich. - Dr. Delia Koo, a teacher and pioneer of programs benefiting international students, will be honored at a ceremony at Michigan State University's International Center at 4 p.m Friday, Nov. 24. Koo has provided gifts that will allow for the expansion of international programs at MSU.
"Delia Koo is a remarkable person worthy of honor," MSU President Peter McPherson said. "You only need to look at the scope of her contributions and what they allow MSU to accomplish to see that while she focuses on her passion for helping international students, she also is helping MSU continue to grow in one of the key aspects of its mission - international studies and the creation of worthwhile global experiences for our students."
Koo's gift will cover the construction and other costs, including equipment, furnishings, operations and maintenance, of a 10,000-square-foot third floor addition to the academic wing of the MSU International Center. The addition will provide classrooms, an office for the Volunteer English Tutoring Program (VETP), and space for new and existing academic programs. On Nov. 10, the MSU Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to name the academic wing (including the library) the "Delia Koo International Academic Center."
"Dr. Koo's gift couldn't be better designed to move MSU's international program efforts into the 21st century," said John Hudzik, Dean of International Studies and Programs. "MSU's renewed growth to further internationalize curriculum, research and outreach is desperately in need of more space, and her longstanding support for scholarships and faculty development are also very welcome.
"I think we will look back on this gift 10 or 20 years from now and say it was the key contributor to jump-starting a new age of international activity at MSU. We are grateful beyond measure for her generosity, and her foresight will be remembered by MSU and generations of its students to come."
Koo has been personally involved in several initiatives that have benefited MSU and international studies. Most notably, she is the founder and continues to coordinate VETP, a program that has helped several thousand international students improve their skills in the English language and develop a better understanding of the American culture in which they are pursuing their education.
While Koo is without doubt an intelligent, thoughtful and dedicated person, another characteristic of her personality that is evident in the story of her life is that she is a survivor. In 1941, she "came to the United States on the last passenger boat from China to the United States," Koo said. "By then, the Japanese were occupying most of China and were really threatening."
As a self-described "feisty young woman from China," Koo battled through life as a Radcliffe/Harvard student who got a late start in her first semester. Her ability to take on a challenge and succeed won her many admirers and helped her complete her Ph.D. while a mother of a young daughter, survive a battle with a serious thyroid problem, and ultimately succeed in her unexpected and not entirely welcome move to Michigan.
Since being in Michigan, however, she has and continues to be a great benefit to the entire MSU community and especially international students. Koo knows first-hand what challenges international students studying at MSU face and the value students can gain from an international academic experience.
"Dr. Koo's dedication and efforts to promote international education have led her to obtain the help of former MSU provost Dr. David Scott, now chancellor at the University of Massachusetts, and since 1992, our office," said Lou Anna K. Simon, MSU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs. "While her contributions enhance international studies and assist international students, they also enhance the entire academic landscape of MSU by helping to include international teaching, research and outreach in many of our academic programs and assisting students who want an international educational experience."
Koo received a baccalaureate degree in China, as well as both master's and doctoral degrees in English from Radcliffe College (Harvard University), where she was both an Evans Fellow and an Anne Radcliffe Fellow. In 1954, she earned a second master's degree in mathematics at Michigan State University.