Background
Light, Timothy was born on November 5, 1938 in Kalamazoo. Son of Richard Upjohn Light and Mary (Upjohn) Meader.
academic administrator studies educator
Light, Timothy was born on November 5, 1938 in Kalamazoo. Son of Richard Upjohn Light and Mary (Upjohn) Meader.
Bachelor, Yale University, 1960. Master of Divinity., Union Theological Seminary, 1965. Master of Arts, Columbia University, 1966.
Doctor of Philosophy, Cornell University, 1974.
He was the fourteenth president of Middlebury College, 1990-1991. A native of Kalamazoo, Michigan, Light is a scholar in East Asian languages and literature. He served as provost of Kalamazoo College prior to his time at Middlebury, and later became a professor of religion and provost at Western Michigan University.
Light"s academic career began at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he held several teaching and administrative positions from 1960 to 1971.
He was a faculty member and director of the East Asia Study Center at the University of Arizona between 1974 and 1980. Light was a professor and chairperson of the Department of East Asian Languages and Literature at Ohio State University from 1980 to 1986, when he was named provost and professor of linguistics and Asian studies at Kalamazoo College.
He went on to serve as acting president at Kalamazoo College in 1989-1990, and then served for a year as president of Middlebury College before coming to Western Michigan University to serve as provost. He stepped down from that post in 2000 to pursue his academic work.
Light is currently a Professor Emeritus of Chinese Religion at Western Michigan University.
Light has contributed money to Democratic candidates and causes including $75,000 to Michigan State Representative Robert Jones" Public Affairs Committee.
Member Ohio Trade Council, Columbus, 1984-1986, Michigan Council on Humanities. Board directors WorldPaper. Trustee Kal Institute Arts.
Member Chinese Language Teachers Association (executive committee, editor 1978-1982, president 1993-1994), Linguistics Society of America, Council Foreign Relations, International Association for Teaching Chinese (vice president since 1993), Yale Club (New York City).
Married Joy Chi-yan Cheng, June 12, 1964. Children: Ann, Claire.