Presidents with overseas doctorates more open to change

Presidents of China's top universities who received their doctoral degrees overseas hired more top overseas talent during their terms, a recent study found.

Researchers collected data from 27 of the best universities in China, called vice-ministry level universities. The study was conducted with full support from the central government by David Zweig; Wang Huiyao, president of the Center of China and Globalization, a Beijing-based think tank; and Kang Siqin, Zweig's research assistant.

"The result indicates that compared with presidents who did not get an overseas PhD, presidents who gained their PhDs abroad are more willing and able to attract people who qualify for the top national programs, the 1000 Talents program run by the Organization Department of the CCP and the Changjiang scholars program run by the ministry of Education," said Zweig, study director and chair professor at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, on Tuesday at the International Forum on Global Migration and Development.