Education collaboration furthers positive Sino-US relations

China Daily | Updated: 2015-09-25 08:00

The University of Missouri, one of the leading universities in the world, is working hard to deepen ties with counterparts in China, especially in the fields of culture and language. China Daily interviewed Handy Williamson, vice-provost for international programs at MU and Ouyang Wen, director of the Confucius Institute at MU, about the university's achievements and future academic strategies.

What role has education played historically in the Sino-US relationship?

Williamson: The status and future of Sino-US relations are uppermost in the minds of many people. The historical underpinnings of those relations are probably less understood by those who opine most. Nevertheless it is fascinating to speculate about the relationship between two of the world's largest economies, considering that one country is less than 300 years old, while the other is over 5,000 years old.

Sino-US educational collaboration started in the middle of the 19th century. In the early years, US universities played seminal roles in providing educational opportunities to Chinese scholars who were educated in the US and subsequently got involved in establishing some of China's most renowned universities. Examples are Yenching, Tsinghua, Peking and St. John universities. The new educational ideas guiding the establishment of these prominent universities were cultivated by the Chinese scholars receiving education at Harvard, Yale, Stanford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Another example is the University of Missouri's connection with China. An earlier connection was established by the first Dean Walter Williams of the MU School of Journalism. Under his leadership, MU helped China establish the first two schools of journalism in 1921 and 1924. MU and Yenching and St. John University developed faculty and student exchange programs during that time.

Ouyang: The Sino-US relationship in education is one of the most important bilateral relationships in the world. The US was the first country to develop educational exchange programs with China in 1868. About 120 teenage Chinese students studied in the US in the late 19th century. Many of them became the founders of modern engineering, science, education and economy of China upon their return to China. For example, Zhan Tianyou, the "father of China's railroad", graduated from Yale University in 1881.

The Boxer Rebellion Indemnity Scholarship set up in 1908 helped at least 100 Chinese students study in the US every year. Altogether about 7,500 Chinese students received their masters and PhD degrees from top-tier US universities from 1909 to 1940.

China and the US have developed widespread educational partnerships and exchanges. Give us your thoughts on some of them.

Williamson: Shortly after Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening-up policy launched, more than 80 American and 100 Chinese universities established partnerships in the 1980s. The US-China Fulbright Program was one of the successful partnerships.

Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, MIT, Yale and the University of California, Berkeley, have a large number of cooperative programs with Chinese universities in animal science, agriculture, forestry, healthcare, medicine and biological and genetic engineering. Eight Chinese universities and 12 US universities have collaboratively undertaken research and education on agriculture under the auspices of the Consortium of US Universities and Institutions in Cooperation with China for Agriculture.

Such collaborations allow the pooling of resources in ways to multiply the benefits available in both nations at a lower cost. Multilateral research funding supports research of excellence on topics of global significance, which can best be pursued by a multinational approach. Some relevant topics of focus would be food security, climate change and mitigating the stress of rapid globalization. The collaboration could also lead to a deeper appreciation of the essences of both cultures.

Ouyang: Student exchange programs are still predominantly in one direction - from China to the US. There are more than a quarter of a million students from China studying in the US while only 15,000 American students studied in China from 2011 to 2012.

In 2009, President Obama announced the 100,000 Strong Initiative. The effort has been backed by the Chinese government and offers 20,000 scholarships for Americans to study in China. In 2012, the third China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange launched the Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistance Program, which enables students in the US to learn Chinese from Chinese instructors.

Both the US and Chinese leaders understand that the future of the China-US strategic relationship, to a certain extent, rests with American young people. The Sino-US educational programs allow more young Americans to have opportunities to study the Chinese language and culture; further, it will strengthen the young American generation's potential for succeeding in today's competitive market and global economy.

As a vice-provost for international programs for 14 years, you have facilitated many MU-China collaborations. How do you think these programs benefit both sides?

Williamson: For example, MU has two plus two and three plus two joint degree programs in engineering and journalism with Chinese partner universities. Through these joint collaborations, MU can share mutual knowledge and experiences and put in place forward-looking globalized curricula. The joint degree programs provide Chinese students with knowledge and mindsets best suited for both the global society and employment.

A large number of MU faculty members from agriculture, education, business, engineering and arts do research collaboratively with Chinese counterparts. Through faculty exchange and collaborations, both MU faculty and their Chinese partners have opportunities to share ideas and findings. It allows research results to be more readily applicable to the two cultures.

MU's Executive Training Program allows Chinese officials to learn world visions and international leadership strategies. The Faculty Training Program trains Chinese faculty on how to impart lifelong guidance, knowledge and critical thinking to students through lectures, classroom activities and hands-on projects.

MU established the Confucius Institute in partnership with Shanghai Normal University in 2011. The institute has great and expanding influence in the community. It is a platform for education, culture, economy and business in the state of Missouri as well as in Columbia, such as facilitating Missouri's trade mission to China and developing an internship program in China for MU's College of Business students.

What impact do you think the MU Confucius Institute has on both the campus and community?

Ouyang: The MU Confucius Institute is entering its fifth year. It is an active communication medium of Chinese culture with MU students, faculty and staff and the local community. To most Americans, especially to Missourians, China is a faraway country, which remains mysterious even though China becomes more visible around the globe. The institute brings China closer to Missouri's people and exposes them to authentic Chinese culture, arts and traditions.

The institute was invited to offer Chinese classes in different K-12 schools since 2011. The Chinese Teachers' Training Program for American teachers started in 2012. A Columbia middle and high school student summer camp to China was organized in 2014 and 2015. Our students range from preschoolers to college students. Currently, all of the sixth graders in Columbia public schools are required to take a Chinese exploratory class. The institute held different cultural activities to attract over 10,000 people to enjoy. The activities have become part of local culture and enrich Missourians' lives. The institute encourages more Midwestern Americans to experience the unique Chinese culture and to enjoy a kaleidoscope of Chinese activities without going to China.

The MU Confucius Institute provides a professional network between the US and China, thus encouraging leaders, administrators, educators, scholars, researchers and students in Missouri to develop a shared understanding of Chinese knowledge, culture, history and values. The institute creates opportunities for communities, schools, business, government and academic organizations to be engaged in political and cultural dialogues with their Chinese counterparts.

Why will China-US educational partnerships, collaborations and exchanges become more important?

Williamson: Both China and the US will, like most countries, depend on research, the discovery of new knowledge, innovation and transformative ideas to drive the future of their economies. Both nations would want to preserve and transmit knowledge and an understanding of established and evolving concepts about their respective cultural moorings, the arts and sciences and the many professional fields. Science and technology and increased human interaction will be the fountain head of future transformation; and education will serve as both a wellspring and reservoir. So that should propel each nation to erect common frameworks and guidelines to encourage and support collaborative educational activities.

These collaborations have provided opportunities for continued student, faculty and staff and researcher exchange. Educational collaboration could profoundly develop a more resilient Sino-US relationship.

Ouyang: The Sino-US educational partnership and exchange programs could provide international experience of studying, working and living for both American and Chinese students, faculty and staff. These international experiences expand the horizons of American and Chinese students and open doors to their future.

Cross-border and cross-cultural relationships are rooted in the relationship and communication of people of the two nations. Sino-US educational collaboration helps American and Chinese people use open-minded attitudes to think about each other's traditions, values and beliefs. Eventually, Sino-US collaboration on education could become the most significant platform to promote a positive relationship for communication, cooperation and diplomacy.