by Jimin Gim, CEAS project assistant
The Yenching Academy Scholars Program, housed within Peking University in Beijing, China, offers a highly customizable Master’s program in China studies for English speakers with varied levels of Chinese language competency. UW–Madison has partnered with Yenching Academy since 2024, through which the university nominates outstanding students for consideration for the Academy’s fully funded master’s program in China studies. Emma Kempf and Jack Rogers are the first students to be nominated through this process.
Sarah Linkert, Assistant Director for Fellowships and Awards, Institute for Regional and International Studies (IRIS) said,
“We are excited to see this partnership result in a fully funded master’s program opportunity for UW–Madison students. Emma and Jack will be the first two UW–Madison nominees to study at the Yenching Academy, and we are thrilled to see this partnership come to fruition. I want to thank my colleagues across the International Division, including those at the Center for East Asian Studies, for their work on this nomination process. We look forward to hearing about Emma and Jack’s experiences in Beijing next year.”
During their studies at UW-Madison, both Jack and Emma have participated in study abroad in Taiwan (Jack at National Taiwan University, and Emma at National Taiwan Normal University), been the recipients of a federal FLAS (Foreign Language and Area Studies) fellowship, and were awarded the UW-Madison Gwang-Tsai (Arthur) Chen Scholarship for excellence within the Chinese major.
Emma Kempf, of Saint Louis Park, Minn., received her bachelor’s degree in Chinese and International Studies in 2023 and is currently in Taiwan on a Huayu Enrichment Scholarship from the Taiwan Ministry of Education. While at UW-Madison, she served as a Peer Mentor in the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures, and also (having attended a Spanish immersion school as a child) was able to study Chinese during study abroad at the University of Seville, in Spain.
Jack Rogers, of La Crosse, Wisc., is a double major in Chinese and political science who will graduate in May. He has pursued advanced Chinese language study in Taiwan, held editorial leadership roles at The Badger Herald, and completed a summer research fellowship in Seoul, South Korea, focused on human rights and justice issues.
The next application cycle is expected to open in fall 2026, with a campus pre-selection deadline typically in November. Students interested in applying in a future cycle should note that UW–Madison students and alumni must apply through the university’s internal nomination process. Additional details will be shared as the next cycle approaches.