As many of you in our community know, I will be stepping down as director of APARC at the end of August. This role has been a cornerstone of my career at Stanford. Yet I am confident the time is right for a leadership change, and I am excited to see Kiyoteru Tsutsui assume the position effective September 1.

As I approach the end of this chapter, I want to express my profound gratitude for your unwavering support, trust, encouragement, and collaboration throughout this journey. It has been the honor and privilege of a lifetime to serve as APARC director over the past twenty years. When I succeeded Andrew Walder in 2005, I could not have imagined that I would fulfill this role for two decades.

I was the first director appointed after the renaming of the center in honor of our main benefactor, the late Walter H. Shorenstein, and I remain deeply grateful to him and the Shorenstein family for their generous support. I am also thankful to our many other engaged donors, dedicated faculty and staff, and the vibrant community of alumni and friends who have helped shape APARC into a thriving hub of policy-relevant scholarship, education, and intellectual exchange.

Over the past two decades, we have experienced meaningful growth and expanded our impact across multiple fronts. We added to our community superb faculty members to strengthen and diversify key research areas with five robust research programs. We created multiple fellowship and training opportunities that have mentored and supported hundreds of students, early-career researchers, and established experts. We launched numerous, multi-year, center-wide research initiatives and policy dialogues addressing urgent challenges across Asia and its global relations, in close collaboration with partners throughout the region and in Washington, D.C. We sustained an active publications program to share our scholars’ research and insights; recognized and supported outstanding journalists and news organizations covering Asia and championing press freedom; and convened a great many public forums that have drawn thousands of participants and reinforced APARC’s reputation as a nexus for expert dialogue and policy engagement on contemporary Asia.

These accomplishments reflect a collective effort and a shared commitment to advancing knowledge and real-world, research-based contributions. I’m proud of all we have achieved together and excited for what lies ahead.

Next year, I will be on sabbatical to focus on research and writing. I look forward to working closely with my students, the Stanford Next Asia Policy Lab team, and other collaborators on various research projects. In my absence, Paul Chang and Karen Eggleston have graciously agreed to serve as acting directors of the Korea Program and Taiwan Program, respectively.

I am also excited to share that my new book, The Four Talent Giants, will be released by Stanford University Press this summer. The book investigates how Japan, Australia, China, and India, which I call “talent giants,” achieved economic power and sustained momentum by addressing risks and challenges such as demographic crises, brain drain, and geopolitical tensions. During my leave, I plan to travel on a book tour throughout the region, and I look forward to returning to APARC next summer with fresh ideas and renewed energy.

APARC is in a strong position and will be in excellent hands under Kiyo’s leadership: ready to innovate and pursue the next phase of its journey. Please extend him the same generous support and partnership you have so kindly given me.

Thank you once again for your incredible support over the past twenty years. Your trust has meant the world to me.

I wish you a wonderful summer and a successful 2025-26 academic year!

Gi-Wook Shin

William J. Perry Professor of Contemporary Korea, Department of Sociology
Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Director, Shorenstein APARC
Director, Korea Program at Shorenstein APARC
Director, Taiwan Program at Shorenstein APARC