Help Professor Shi with Legal Fees

On February 5th, Allegheny College President Hilary Link announced that the Board of Trustees voted to discontinue four academic programs, including the Chinese minor. The college subsequently terminated Professor Xiaoling Shi's position as the Associate Professor and Chinese Section Head.

The Board’s decision follows Provost Ron Cole's recommended staffing plan. However, his recommendation to discontinue the Chinese minor came to everyone's surprise—students and faculty alike. Within the faculty-appointed Task Force Report, the Chinese minor was not recommended to be discontinued. Professor Shi was also never consulted during the decision-making process; the Provost only informed her after the decision.

The sudden departure of Professor Xiaoling Shi will be devastating to the campus community. Professor Shi has worked at Allegheny College for 12 years as the Chinese Section Head. In 2017, she received her tenure. Being the founder of the Chinese-American Friendship Society and the advisor for the Association for Asian and Asian American Awareness, Professor Shi is dedicated to raising awareness of Asian students’ presence on campus and caring for any students’ wellbeing.

Her dedication to students has made the Chinese program a valuable academic space for cross-cultural understanding, finding a sense of belonging, and establishing strong social networks. As a result, Professor Shi has fostered many long-lasting connections with Asian-American students, Asian International students, and students of other backgrounds.

Professor Shi was most concerned about the Allegheny community following the program’s termination. She feels that Asian-American and Asian international students need a cultural space they can call home while in Meadville or away from their home country.

The Chinese minor emphasizes Allegheny's dual priorities of holistic student success and inclusive excellence. The minor provides crucial global learning experiences as one of the only programs centered around East Asia. Learning Chinese bridges the cultural gap necessary for international business, diplomacy, and education to confront 21st-century problems. Last year, Professor Shi received a prestigious National Endowment for the Humanities, Level 1 Digital Humanities Advancement Grant, to create an engaging digital curriculum for Intermediate Chinese language and culture. Her work is expected to impact the language and culture teaching field as a whole.

Professor Shi is appealing this decision in collaboration with students, alumni, and faculty. We have met with administrators, voiced our concerns, and are left with few other options. Professor Shi will involve a lawyer in the appeal process. She says, “I fight because I want to show that I have a voice. We will fight if the system bullies us. We will fight if we face injustice.”

Professor Shi will need funds to make her case during the appeal process. She has a long career of supporting students and needs our help now. We ask for you to share our fundraiser, provide well-wishes, and a financial contribution if you are able.