Dr. Theodore Hsi-en Chen’s Life and Career at USC
Dr. Chen is a native of Fuzhou, Fujian Province. He was born at the family home on Aofong Square in Fuzhou on July 14, 1902. His father, a believing Christian, was an English teacher at GeZhi Middle School. He had three sons and three daughters. Hsi-En is the eldest. During Hsi-Ens early years, his father taught him a high degree of English proficiency. After graduating from GeZhi high school, he was admitted to Fujian Christian University (FCU). Because of his outstanding achievement in English, Professor Xu Guang Rong selected him as an English tutor. After graduating from FCU, he was hired at Yinghua Middle School to teach English. Working there for two years, he was well received by the teachers and won his students admiration. In the autumn of 1924, he went to graduate school of Teachers College in Columbia University in the United States as an apprentice to Dewey and Kilpatrick. Due to poor health, he did not complete his doctorate. In 1929, he returned to FCU to work as professor of education and director of education and discipline. In 1937, seven days before the Marco Polo Bridge incident, Professor Chen took his family to the United States to continue his unfinished doctorate. This was the second time he had come to America. He enrolled at the University of Southern California. Due to his outstanding performance, the professors all liked him very much. In 1938 he was hired to teach the “comparative education” course. In 1939, he received his doctoral degree and was appointed professor of education. During his residency in the United States, the Japanese launched a large-scale invasion of China. In response, he gave inspiring patriotic speeches everywhere in the United States to help people understand the truth of the Japanese invasion of China, helping to win the American people’s sympathy and support for our country. He left his footprints throughout the United States, becoming a famous public speaker. At the end of 1946, FCU President Lin Jingrun was sent to the United States for medical treatment due to liver cancer. The school Board of Directors invited Prof. Chen to return to China to serve as acting president. Unfortunately, President Lin Jingrun died in the United States. The Board and the students asked Professor Chen to take over as permanent president. Having asked for only one year of leave from USC, Professor Chen could not accept. As planned, he returned to USC in July of 1947, continuing his work as a Professor and Head of the Asian Culture Department and as Director of the East Asian Cultural Center. Professor Chen taught at USC for over 30 years, retiring in 1974.
** From Prof. Chang. We may need to paraphrase the text. Dr. Chen was appointed in March of 1953 by the non-profit “United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia” in the US as its representative to lead the establishment of the first and only western style liberal-art institute “Tunghai University” in Taiwan. In fact, the United Board had offered Theodore the position as the first president of the university. Theodore declined to accept the offer although he continued to lead the working group to put together the future plan for this proposed university and left Taiwan in August of 1953.
Dr. Chen was a pioneering educational reformer, a distinguished scholar of East Asian Studies, and an active community leader in the Sinophone societies and its transpacific network. His field-making work in higher education contributes to the research, outreach programs, and promotion of East Asian Studies, not only as part of the area studies but also as an indispensable dimension of the humanities program.