Princeton Seminary Receives New Scholarship Endowment

Princeton, NJ, February 8, 2007–Princeton Theological Seminary has established the Reverend Iu Su-iong Scholarship Endowment Fund, with a gift given by Iu’s son, Alexander K. Young, a 1954 M.Div. and 1961 Th.D. graduate of the Seminary. The scholarship assists an M.A.T.S., Th.M., or Ph.D. student or visiting scholar, with preference given to those producing scholarly work on the influence of Taiwanese church history. The endowment represents the Reverend Iu’s long dedication and contributions as a professor of church history at Tainan Theological Seminary in Taiwan, moderator of the Presbyterian Church General Assembly in Taiwan, well-known author, and beloved pastor. 

The scholarship also represents the relationship between Princeton Seminary and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan, and the family’s deep appreciation for the Seminary. Iu was a visiting scholar at the Seminary in 1954, and Young served as an instructor in Christian ethics under President John A. Mackay, and then went on to earn a Ph.D. at Columbia University, where he taught in the School of International Affairs and in the Department of Asian Languages and Culture. He is professor of international relations emeritus at the State University of New York, and was appointed national policy advisor to the president of Taiwan in 2001. He is the author of many articles on global corporations, on Japanese foreign policy, and on Taiwan’s relations with China, Japan, and the United States. In recognition of Young’s writings, the emperor and prime minister of Japan awarded him the Kun Santo Zuihosho, Japan’s Order of the Sacred Treasure, in 1992, one of the highest honors that can be bestowed upon a non-citizen.

Young sees the endowment as “an expression of gratitude to God and to PTS.  If the scholarship could help promote interest in studying the church history of Taiwan, we couldn’t be happier,” he said.

Princeton Theological Seminary was founded in 1812 as the first seminary established by the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church. It is the largest Presbyterian seminary in the country, with more than 700 students in seven graduate degree programs.