In Memoriam: Professor Emeritus Chin-Chuan Lee (1946 - 2026)

The Hubbard School is sad to announce the passing of Professor Emeritus Chin-Chuan ("C.C.") Lee.

A specialist in international communications, Lee started at the School in 1982 and wrote articles and books about his birthplace of Taiwan, as well as China and Hong Kong, during the divisive release of Hong Kong from the British Empire. However, Lee knew that to get into the nitty-gritty of press in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, he needed to be there. In 1988, he took a year-long sabbatical to advocate and study free press at the Institute of Ethnology Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan. Taiwan was recently free from authoritarian rule, and as a result, Lee called it a laboratory for media studies. As an international specialist, Lee enjoyed breaking down the relationship between politics and the press and wrote many articles and five books on the subject. 

He furthered his interests by heading the China Times Center for Media and Social Studies in the Twin Cities. The China Times Foundation in Washington, D.C., created the group with a grant, and the Center hosted an international conference in 1994. The conference brought in people from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan that, according to Lee, would’ve never agreed to meet elsewhere. America, for the moment, was a neutral zone. While at the School, Lee kept up his correspondence and jobs as a freelance columnist for Hong Kong and Taiwan newspapers. He often took phone calls in the middle of the night or eagerly awaited five-day-late newspapers. However, he was committed to bolstering the relationship between American viewpoints and the actualities of the three societies. 

“Political economy in Asian countries is different from the West,” Lee said at the time, “and employing comparative perspectives not only challenges established theories of the West but helps internationalize all our theories.” It’s about working to change those perspectives and not giving in to easy stereotypes, Lee said. “We think news is very comprehensive and we expect journalists to provide a representative view but in fact, their news perspective is very narrow,” he said. “News is an imperfect medium.” Lee was a professor here at the School for 22 years before retiring in 2004. Lee went on to teach at the City University of Hong Kong until 2021 and at National Chengchi University from 2019 until his passing.

More about Lee's life can be found via NCCU. The Hubbard School expresses their condolences to all of Lee's family, friends and colleagues, and anyone wishing to write a remembrance of Lee is welcome to submit one for publication in the Fall 2026 issue of the Murphy Reporter by emailing [email protected].

Remembrances

I did not sleep last night. My phone kept lighting up with messages from around the world — his former students, colleagues, and friends — each sharing their shock, their grief, and their memories of Professor C.C. Lee. It reminded me, in the most profound way, how many lives he touched.

Professor Lee was my dissertation advisor at Minnesota, but more than that, he has been a lifelong mentor to me for nearly three decades, and in many ways, family. Like so many others, I carry countless memories of his generosity, his wisdom, and the way he made each of us feel seen and supported. In my office, I have a piece of his calligraphy. I see it every day, and now more than ever, I feel his presence in it.

When he received the B. Aubrey Fisher Mentorship Award from ICA in 2014, we gathered dozens of letters from his mentees, including one collectively signed by many whose lives he had shaped. That moment captured something essential: his mentorship was not bounded by time, place, or formal roles; it was enduring, expansive, and deeply human.

His scholarly contributions transformed how we understand global communication, but his greatest legacy lives in people — in the generations of scholars across the United States, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and beyond who carry forward his spirit of rigor, generosity, and care. The outpouring of stories we are seeing now is not surprising. It is simply a reflection of a life that was lived so fully in service of others.

He will always be with us.

– Yong Volz (Ph.D. '06), Associate Professor & Roger Gafke Distinguished Faculty Fellow, University of Missouri

Professor Chin-Chuan Lee’s passing reminds us, sadly, that he is no longer just an email away. But he has left for us his mark on the study of international and global media, a rich legacy from which generations of students and scholars will benefit. He had a keen mind and was unafraid to ask the tough questions about journalism in troubled and transformative times, in countries and political systems far removed from his other home — America.

Under Professor Lee’s guidance, I learned different ways of seeing and knowing about journalism and media. He encouraged me to embrace multiple approaches to the field at a time when deep ideological schisms still lingered in academic circles in the discipline. He could speak easily, ranging across many subjects — media studies, political science, political sociology, public policy, economics, and more. I learned early that his characteristic erudition was to be expected, as I settled down to a rigorous doctoral program under his guidance.

Professor Lee’s distinguished career is the result of his tireless and lifelong dedication to mentorship of a legion of advisees and students worldwide. First, he was my professor, then my senior colleague and friend, but always a generous mentor. To recognize his truly international stature in the field, as his Indian advisee I offer my Taiwanese adviser in an American University a few lines of verse by Scotland’s bard:

The friend of age, the guide of youth; 
Few hearts like his, with virtue warm’d, 
Few heads with knowledge so inform’d; 
If there’s another world, he lives in bliss; 
If there is none, he made the best of this.

Excerpted from "Epitaph on a Friend" by Robert Burns

— Sujatha Sosale (Ph.D. '98), Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Mass Communication, The University of Iowa

A Lifetime Mentor

In 1988, I arrived at the University to begin graduate study at the J-school. Wide-eyed, with confusion and anxiety plainly written on my face, I sat through lectures understanding every word, yet unable to grasp the meaning of a sentence. I wasn’t alone. Five girls from Taiwan in our cohort and I often gathered after class. Between sharing our frustrations, we found moments of laughter in the novelties we encountered.

During one office hour, we even proposed a solution to the University’s budget challenges: “Why not turn off the lights in the buildings to save on electricity?” The professor laughed—no doubt at our naivety.

The first snow arrived on October 25. The girls, having grown up in tropical Taiwan, were thrilled; it was their first time seeing snow. I, however, was stunned that winter came so early. By January, the relentless cold and heavy snowfall had silenced us all. In a futile attempt to lift our spirits, a professor joked, “You won’t remember what spring looks like until May.” His words drew more groans than laughter.

It was in this setting that Professor Chin-Chuan Lee came to our rescue.

A scholar of international communication, bilingual and deeply insightful, he had a gift for breaking down complex political and geographical issues into something we each could relate to. At a time when tensions among Mainland China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong (then under British governance) made meaningful dialogue nearly impossible, he offered a different perspective: “In the United States, ethnic media provides a platform for all three to interact—and even confront one another, directly or indirectly.”

He shared this with us during a weekend gathering at his home. That evening, we made dumplings together. In Chinese culture, hospitality often takes the form of food—especially food prepared collectively by hosts and guests. In the north, families make dumplings; in Sichuan, they prepare tofu dishes; along the coast, a chicken might be slaughtered in the backyard for Hainan Chicken. Professor Lee, his wife and two children welcomed the six of us into their home and into this tradition.

Knowing his deep experience with newspapers and magazines in Taiwan and Hong Kong, we asked countless questions. He responded with thoughtful observations—many of which would later appear in his publications—and punctuated the evening with humor. “When Chiang Kai-shek retreated from the Mainland to Taiwan,” he joked, “he said he understood everything except economics. A few decades later, the only thing that truly developed in Taiwan was the economy.”

We talked well past midnight. He and his wife insisted we stay the night, and the six of us slept on tatami mats in the living room. It was a memorable evening—one I believe we all carried with us for the rest of our lives.

Professor Lee later became my thesis advisor. He was more than an advisor; he was a mentor in the fullest sense—a mentor for life. He taught me how to think critically, analyze deeply, and tell a story with clarity and purpose. Although I did not pursue a career in communication, his guidance and care have stayed with me, quietly shaping my path and steadying my journey, no matter where it led.

— Jane Burk (MA '91), retired VP in Information Technology, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco