Chinese university presidents, vice presidents, and provosts will come to New Haven each year to learn about the Western approach to education under a new partnership between Yale and the China Scholarship Council (CSC).
On June 6 during the seventh annual China-U.S. High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange, held in Beijing (see related story), President Peter Salovey and CSC Secretary-General Liu Jinghui signed a memorandum of understanding to formally continue an exchange program that exposes Chinese university leaders to key elements of the American research university — for example, liberal arts education, competitive faculty appointment processes, and administrative practices ranging from fundraising techniques to strategic planning. Since the China-Yale Advanced University Leadership Program was begun in 2004 in cooperation with China’s Ministry of Education, more than 100 Chinese university presidents and vice presidents have participated.
The Chinese university leaders selected to take part in the program meet with Yale faculty, students, and administrators to exchange ideas about education and learn about the operation of a major U.S. university.
The China Scholarship Council, a non-profit organization affiliated with China’s Ministry of Education, provides aid for Chinese citizens to pursue education abroad and for those from other countries to study in China. In 2006, the council and Yale collaborated to create the CSC-Yale World Scholars Program in Biomedical Sciences, which brings top graduates from eight premiere institutions in China to study in Yale’s Combined Program in Biological and Biomedical Sciences.
“Through these efforts, and with our shared commitment, together we are building world-class universities in China,” said Salovey.