The Asian Studies program is pleased to announce that the annual J. Earl Moreland Lecture on Asia will be held at Randolph-Macon College on April 17, 2017 at 7 p.m. in Birdsong Hall (106 E. Patrick St.).

Atsuyuki Oike, Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C., will be the keynote speaker. This event is free and open to the public.  Map and Directions

“We are honored to have Mr. Oike visit our campus and address our community,” says RMC President Robert R. Lindgren. “The annual Moreland Lecture is just one way that Randolph-Macon expands awareness and appreciation of our global community, and we look forward to welcoming Mr. Oike to our campus.”

Special guests at the lecture will include Andy and Jean Anderson, parents of Taylor Anderson ’08, a beloved member of the Randolph-Macon family who died in the March 2011 tsunami that resulted from the Great East Japan earthquake.  Also attending will be Luke Ding and Mary Ding ’83, two children of the lecture series’ benefactor, Dr. Lik Kiu Ding ’49.

Atsuyuki Oike
Atsuyuki Oike is Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Washington, D.C.  He has served with the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 33 years. His previous positions include Assistant Vice Minister and Director-General for Global Issues, during which he served as Chief Negotiator for Climate Change at COP21; Economic Minister at the Embassy of Japan in China; Minister in charge of the WTO at The Permanent Mission of Japan in Geneva; and Economic Minister at the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Korea. He graduated from the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law. 

The J. Earl Moreland Lecture on Asia
Each spring, the J. Earl Moreland Lecture on Asia brings a distinguished expert to the Randolph-Macon campus for a public lecture. The purpose of the lecture is to create greater understanding and interest in Asian affairs through direct contact with distinguished scholars and prominent professionals. Randolph-Macon College recently approved a Japanese Studies minor.  

The lecture series was established through a generous donation from the late Dr. Lik Kiu Ding ’49 to commemorate Dr. J. Earl Moreland, who served as president of Randolph-Macon from 1939-1967.

Previous Moreland Lecture guests include Chum Bun Rong, Cambodian Ambassador to the United States and Mexico; writer Evan Osnos; director Jia Zhangke; actress Zhao Tao; Tom Vick, curator of Asian film, Smithsonian Institution; Yunsheng Huang, associate professor of Asian architecture, University of Virginia; and author Raj Patel.