Emerita Professor Elaine Kim Receives Two Honorary Degrees

On May 26, Elaine H. Kim received an Honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Amherst College.

A pioneer and professor emerita in the field Asian American and Asian diaspora studies in the Department of Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. At Berkeley she also held the positions of associate dean of the Graduate Division, faculty assistant for the Status of Women, and assistant dean in the College of Letters and Science, among others. Over the course of her career, Kim has written, edited, and co-edited 10 books, directed or produced three video documentaries and served as president Association for Asian American Studies and on the National Council of the American Studies Association. Among her recognitions are the Global Korea Award, the Asian Pacific American Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award, the Association for Asian American Studies Lifetime Achievement Award, and State of California Award for Excellence in Education. She co-founded Asian Women United of California, the Korean Community Center of the East Bay in Oakland, and Asian Immigrant Women Advocates. She earned a bachelor of arts in English and American literature from the University of Pennsylvania, master of arts in English and comparative literature from Columbia University, and doctorate in social foundations of education from Berkeley. She has received an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree for the University of Notre Dame.