Remembering Yun-han Chu, 1956-2023

Alumnus was leading political scientist and internationally esteemed authority on and advocate for democratization
Yun-han Chu, Ph. D.
Yun-han Chu, Ph. D. '87

Distinguished University of Minnesota graduate alumnus, Yun-han Chu of National Taiwan University, passed away on February 5, 2023. We offer our condolences to his family and friends, as well as the many colleagues and students who mourn his passing. Chu was an outstanding scholar who played an influential role in shaping the fields of political science and international relations in Taiwan and, more generally, in East Asia.

After attending the Secondary School Affiliated with National Taiwan Normal University, Chu completed his master’s degree in political science at National Taiwan University in 1979. Chu received his Ph. D. from the Department of Political Science in the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Minnesota in 1987. He returned to the National Taiwan University that year as a faculty member. Professor Chu specialized in politics of Greater China, East Asian political economy, and democratization.

In his career, Chu’s impact reached far beyond his work as a professor and distinguished research fellow. He served as president of both the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange and the Chinese Association of Political Science (Taipei). Chu served as director of programs of the Institute for National Policy Research, coordinator of Asian Barometer Survey, and was a member of both the International Council of the Asia Society and the Council of the American Political Science Association. Additionally, in 2012, Chu was elected an academician of Academia Sinica, the country’s highest academic honor. Chu also served on the editorial board for several academic journals, and was an author, co-author, editor, or co-editor for 15 books.

In 2014, the University of Minnesota, College of Liberal Arts honored Chu with the Outstanding Achievement Award, the highest recognition conferred on alumni.

 

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