The Board of Directors of AAPIC recently sent out an open letter of support for Dr. Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee who was put on administrative leave by the California State University Chancellor Dr. Garcia after he entered into an agreement with the student protestors on the Sonoma State Univerisity campus averting violence as the school year ended. The following is our open letter.
Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition of North Bay
Santa Rosa, California
May 25, 2024
The Asian American Pacific Islander Coalition (AAPIC) of North Bay celebrates Dr. Ming-Tung “Mike” Lee’s extraordinary career and leadership in the California State University (CSU) system, where he dedicated over 30 years to uplifting students from all backgrounds and held significant faculty, administrative, and financial positions. Dr. Lee has received numerous honors and awards for advancing BIPOC leadership. AAPIC applauds the incredible contributions Dr. Lee has made to enhancing higher education, promoting mental health in the AAPI community, and raising political awareness of Asian Americans in the State of California.
Coming out of retirement, Dr. Lee served as Sonoma State University (SSU) Interim President in 2022 and then was appointed President in May the following year. During this short tenure, he was recognized for his willingness to interface and engage with faculty and students directly in a welcoming open-door policy.
We were privileged to have Dr. Lee as our keynote speaker at our AAPIC community gathering in January 2024 where he exuded joy with being a part of our North Bay community. He expressed a commitment to elevating the voices of those who have been historically marginalized, including the AAPI community.
In his true collaborative nature, Dr. Lee engaged in conversations with students, administrators, and faculty at SSU regarding the war in Gaza. We laud Dr. Lee for protecting student protestors against violence and incarceration as seen at other universities, standing up for fundamental human rights, and maintaining deep kindness and integrity in the face of division.
We condemn the rash punitive actions taken by CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia placing Dr. Lee on administrative leave for insubordination. This shortsighted decision led to Dr. Lee choosing to return to retirement. His departure is a huge loss for SSU, the CSU system, and the larger North Bay community. We condemn the tactics used to shame and silence Dr. Lee from taking a stance against the senseless killing of innocent people – the same tactics historically used on the AAPI community to mute dissent.
We agree with this sentiment from Dr. Lee’s message to the SSU community:
“Student activism, protest, and dissent in service of social and political change are key democratic principles that allow us to imagine a more perfect union — not only for ourselves, but also for others. None of us should be on the sidelines when human beings are subject to mass killing and destruction. I have said this before and it merits repeating: There is no political, religious, or cultural principle that merits the murder of the innocent, and the one battle we should all be engaged in is the fight for inclusion, respect, and freedom for all people, regardless of their background or identity.”
We are immensely saddened by Dr. Lee’s departure and firmly stand in solidarity with his call for a cease-fire so that a process for permanent, peaceful resolution can be established.
Sincerely,
AAPIC Board of Directors
President, Laurie Fong
Vice President, Grace Cheung-Schulman
Secretary, David Chen
Treasurer, Judy Chen
Board Member, Elizabeth Escalante
Board Member, Savenaca Gasaiwai
Board Member, Henry Huang
Board Member, Katherine Nguyen
Board Member, Claudia Sisomphou
Board Member, Brian Tajii
Board Member, Nancy Weber
Board Member, Barry Wu