Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association

The Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association (ITASA) (Chinese (Traditional): 美國台裔學生協會) was established by a group of students in the East Coast and Midwest of the United States to grow the Taiwanese American college community. ITASA is a national 501(c)(3) non-profit organization staffed by students and recent graduates to serve their peers and their respective campuses. ITASA provides the spaces for networking, community building, leadership training, and identity-building which are critical to the future of the Taiwanese American generation.

Intercollegiate Taiwanese American Students Association
FormationFebruary 17, 1998
TypeNGO
Legal status501(c)(3) religious/cultural
PurposeCommunity activism
HeadquartersEvanston, Illinois
Location
Region served
East, West, Midwest
Membership
1000+
Official language
English
Main organ
National Board, Board of Directors
AffiliationsTaiwanese American Student Associations, Official Partner of Taiwanese American Citizens League
Staff
40+
WebsiteITASA.org

History

On July 4, 1990, a group of second generation Taiwanese Americans converged on the campuses of Cornell University as a part of the Taiwanese American Conference/East Coast (TAC/EC) at Donlon Lounge to commence discussions regarding an intercollegiate Taiwanese Council. "We nicknamed ourselves ‘seeds,’ a term used as the agents to organically grow the Taiwanese community including a Taiwanese American Collegiate Network,” recalls Winston Yang, the organizer for the 1991 meeting of the ITASA “seeds.” During the 1991 meeting, about twenty representatives from schools like Harvard, Columbia, Yale, University of Pennsylvania, Smith, Rutgers, and NYU converged on the campuses of Columbia University for three days.

The first ITASA East Coast Conference took place at the University of Pennsylvania in 1992 (ITSA), followed by Yale University in 1993. The first Midwest ITASA conference took place the same year at Purdue University. From then on, ITASA held two conferences annually on the East Coast and the Midwest, until 1999, when the first annual West Coast Conference was held at the University of California, Berkeley, thus completing the three-region conference series which continues today.

In the beginning, ITASA conferences were self-financed and catered by students' own families. Attendance ranged from 35 to 300 people.

On February 17, 1998, ITASA was formally incorporated as a 501(c)(3) religious/cultural tax-exempt nonprofit corporation in Delaware by Incorporator Kok-ui Lim with the help of many other people, including Jimmy Ho, Audrey Jean, Cathy Hsu, Tim Chng, Rolla Chng, et al.

The founders of ITASA presided for several years and had tried several ways to generate successors. They created a steering committee of positions including the quaintly termed "Computer Operator" and recruited interested students from schools all over the nation to help run the organization. Many members of the steering committee have noted that they lacked the experience and motivation to run a geographically dispersed student organization. Staff experience increased with the command of Jimmy, Audrey, Cathy, and others. This new generation of ITASA leaders, all recent conference directors on the East Coast, helped to secure ITASA's financial and organizational future by facilitating the incorporation of ITASA into a 501(c)(3) corporation and investing ITASA's involvement on the regional level. They also developed ITASA's nascent web presence, centralized fundraising strategies, and brought greater structure to the national calendar of events and board responsibilities. From then on, the Board of Directors emerged from a group of veteran officers and new officers emerged from the conference leaders. Today, the ITASA National Board is selected every June from a pool of applicants from across the United States.

In 1998, Taiwanese American students at Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Tufts University established the Boston Intercollegiate Taiwanese Students Association (BITSA) to serve the many campuses in the Boston area. BITSA works closely with ITASA at targeting its thriving community of local students.

In 1999, the first Annual Leadership Retreat was held at the University of Pennsylvania.

In 1999, ITASA "Regional Representatives" were added to the leadership structure. In 2003, Regional Representatives would become Regional Governors with more defined responsibilities.

In the spring of 1999, students at the University of California at Berkeley undertook the first West Coast Conference, bringing ITASA to three major regions across the United States.

In 2000, the Leadership Retreat Program was expanded to include the Midwest and West Coast Leadership Retreats. The first Midwest Leadership Retreat was held at Northwestern University with the West Coast Leadership Retreat hosted by Pomona College.

In 2001, ITASA's leadership structure was changed to its current form of a National Board overseen by a Board of Directors.

In 2003, Governor-led Regional Boards were established, replacing the single Regional Representative in each region and District Chairs took charge over the Districts, which were subdivided from the Regions.

In 2006, the first annual ITASA Winter Mixer in New York, NY was held.

In 2010, the Philanthropy Department was created. The Philanthropy Department plans and implements projects designed to further ITASA's mission statement.

In 2018, the Programs and Philanthropy departments were merged, as were the Marketing and Public Relations department.

In 2020, the External Affairs Department was created. The External Affairs Department aims to advocate for Taiwanese/ Taiwanese American rights representing the voice of college students across the US. Marketing and Public Relations Departments were once again separated into two departments. Marketing focuses on social media online presence and Public Relations focuses on outreach. The National Board introduced the co-national director system for most of the departments.

Approach

While setting goals, the National Board has identified 5 levels of student activism. The community at large needed more resources to educate, unite, and equip the general body of Taiwanese Americans across the United States. The campuses at each school needed support in getting linked to the nationwide network and founding new chapters of Taiwanese American student groups. The individual students required more information, ideas, contacts, outlets, and guidelines for personal and collective activism.

Programs

ITASA Grants

ITASA Grants was started during the 2018–2019 Academic Year following various inquiries about whether ITASA can help fund chapter events. The program comes as a combination of the previous Regional Grants Initiative and the ITASA Awards program. For the Spring 2019 Academic Term, ITASA helped to fund 3 different events at the University of Chicago, University of Texas at Austin, and Binghamton University for a grand total of $1,000.

Conference timeline

Conferences
DateVenueConferenceThemeConference Director(s)
Spring, 1992University of PennsylvaniaITSAPointing a new direction for the future
Spring, 1992University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignTASconTaiwanese American Students Conference - Proud to be Taiwanese American
Fall, 1992Brown UniversityITASA Cultural Conference
Fall, 1992University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA/TASC Cultural Conference
Spring, 1993Yale UniversityITASA East Coast Conference
Spring, 1993Purdue UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceWhere are we now? Where are we from? Where are we going?
Spring, 1993University of Western OntarioITASA/CANA bridget to the future
Fall, 1993University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceShaping the Future: A Challenge for Taiwanese Americans
Spring, 1994Princeton UniversityITASA East Coast Conference
Spring, 1994University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest Conference
Spring, 1995Harvard UniversityITASA East Coast Conference
Fall, 1995University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest Conference
February 2 – February 4, 1996Brown UniversityITASA East Coast Conference
October 18 – October 19, 1996Northwestern UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceVoice and Vision  Talking About Today, Looking Towards Tomorrow
Spring, 1997Cornell UniversityITASA East Coast Conference
Spring, 1998Princeton UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceTaiwanese Eyes, American Visions
April 10 – April 12, 1998University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest ConferenceExpress Yourself
November 13 – November 14, 1998Harvard UniversityBITSA ConferenceFortune's Way: Exploring the Taiwanese-American's Path to Success
February 4 – February 7, 1999Yale UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceMade In Taiwan
April 9 – April 11, 1999University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceLinks to the Past, Keys to the Future
April 10 – April 11, 1999University of California at BerkeleyITASA West Coast ConferenceA Journey Through Our Taiwanese-American Experience
November 16, 1999Harvard UniversityBITSA ConferenceOld-School-New School: Bridging the Taiwanese-American Past and Future
February 18 – February 20, 2000Brown UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceBreaking Boundaries, Building Bridges
March 31 – April 2, 2000Northwestern UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceThe Next Generation
April 7 – April 9, 2000Stanford UniversityITASA West Coast Conference
November 11, 2000Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyBITSA ConferenceInspiration and Expression: The Taiwanese-American in the New Millennium
March 1 – March 3, 2001University of PennsylvaniaITASA East Coast ConferenceITASA: One Revolution
March 15 – March 18, 2001University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceObey Your Core: Yam I Am
Spring, 2001University of California at Los AngelesITASA West Coast ConferenceCause An Effect: Empowering a New Generation
October 27, 2001Wellesley CollegeBITSA ConferenceMovement: Raising a New Voice
February 14 – February 17, 2002Harvard UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceTransition and Translation: Looking Within to Reach Beyond
April 5 – April 7, 2002University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest ConferenceFlash Forward: Taiwan Beyond the Boundaries
April 5 – April 7, 2002University of Southern CaliforniaITASA West Coast ConferenceEntering New Dimensions
November 16, 2002Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyBITSA ConferenceImpressions
February 27 – March 2, 2003Columbia UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceBiting Into the Yam
April 4 – April 6, 2003University of Washington at SeattleITASA West Coast ConferenceBuilding Parallel Generations
November 15, 2003Tufts UniversityBITSA ConferenceMade In Taiwan: Defining a Culture
February 5 – February 8, 2004Yale UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceChoose Your Flavor
March 5 – March 7, 2004University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceReunion
April 2 – April 4, 2004Stanford UniversityITASA West Coast ConferenceSeeking the New Taiwan Spirit
February 24 – February 26, 2005Rutgers University at New BrunswickITASA East Coast ConferencePerpetual Motion
April 7 – April 9, 2005University of Southern CaliforniaITASA West Coast ConferenceOne Step Ahead
2005Northwestern UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceBeyond the Spectrum
February 9 – February 11, 2006New York UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceUnity
March 31 – April 2, 2006University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest ConferenceRemix
April 6 – April 8, 2006University of California at Los AngelesITASA West Coast ConferenceDiscovering the Taiwanese American Consciousness
February 2 – February 4, 2007Harvard UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceThe World Is Not Enough
March 30 – April 2, 2007University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceTeam Taiwan
April 12 – April 15, 2007Stanford UniversityITASA West Coast ConferenceRekindling the Flame
February 21 – February 23, 2008University of PennsylvaniaITASA East Coast ConferenceKaleidoscope
April 4 – April 6, 2008Northwestern UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceHand in Hand
February 19 – February 22, 2009Duke UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceBringing it Back Home
April 2 – April 4, 2009University of Southern CaliforniaITASA West Coast ConferenceCreative Identity of Ambiguity
April 17 – April 19, 2009University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest ConferenceIlluminate
February 18 – February 20, 2010Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyITASA East Coast ConferenceLive in HD
March 26 – March 28, 2010University of Texas at AustinITASA Midwest ConferenceRound Up
April 1 – April 4, 2010University of California at San DiegoITASA West Coast ConferenceSailing Beyond The Horizon
January 27 – January 30, 2011Princeton UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceTaking it to the Top
April 7 – April 9, 2011University of California at BerkeleyITASA West Coast ConferenceNext Stop: Taiwan
April 15 – April 17, 2011Northwestern UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceTaiwan Unwrapped
February 16 – February 19, 2012Georgia Institute of TechnologyITASA East Coast ConferenceThe Tipping Point
April 6 – April 8, 2012University of Michigan at Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceRenewal
February 14 – February 17, 2013New York University & Columbia UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceIgniting Infinite Possibilities
April 4 – April 7, 2013University of California, Los AngelesITASA West Coast ConferenceCrescendo: Voices of Taiwanese America
April 12 – April 13, 2013The Ohio State UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceTaiwan Taking Root
February 13 – February 16, 2014Yale UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceWork In Progress
April 3 – April 6, 2014University of California at BerkeleyITASA West Coast ConferencePause. Rewind. Play.
April 10 – April 13, 2014University of Texas at AustinITASA Midwest ConferenceLeveling Up
February 12 – February 15, 2015University of PennsylvaniaITASA East Coast ConferenceInterface
March 5 – March 8, 2015University of Southern CaliforniaITASA West Coast ConferenceTo Infinity and Beyond
April 3 – April 5, 2015University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest ConferencePlot Twist
February 11 – February 14, 2016University of MarylandITASA East Coast ConferenceRoutes (Roots) of Action
March 31 – April 3, 2016Stanford UniversityITASA West Coast ConferenceTreasure Island
April 8 – April 10, 2016Northwestern UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceUnderwaterHarry Tong
February 16 - February 18, 2017New York UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceIntertrakCatherine Chang
March 31 - April 2, 2017University of Michigan, Ann Arbor x University of Illinois at Urbana-ChampaignITASA Midwest ConferenceLí chiah pá bô?Grace Wu, Jason Yeh
April 6 - April 9, 2017University of California, DavisITASA West Coast ConferenceLights! Camera! ACTION!Jennie Chang
February 8 - February 10, 2018Rutgers UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceGlowing UpSteven Cheng
March 30 - April 1, 2018Case Western Reserve University x The Ohio State UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceIn VisibilityAlicia Chang, Sharon Yeh
February 14 – February 17, 2019University of PennsylvaniaITASA National ConferenceMe and AmaAmy Chen, Peter Sheu
February 6 – February 9, 2020University of Maryland, College ParkITASA East Coast ConferenceRecognize to ReconnectYvonne Chen
February 5 - February 7, 2021Johns Hopkins UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceSketching Your Own PathSabrina Wang
April 9 - April 11, 2021University of Michigan, Ann ArborITASA Midwest ConferenceBranch & BoundBrian Lin, Serena Yee
TBARutgers UniversityITASA East Coast ConferenceTBAAshley Chen, Thomas Eldralin
TBAThe Ohio State UniversityITASA Midwest ConferenceTBAKristen Wang, Yushin Jeng

References

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