Welcoming Remarks for Don Q. Washington
International Graduate Scholarship Conference
Shangri-la Hotel, Wuhan

September 21, 2007

(Recognize dignitaries)  Hubei Provincial Government Education Department Director General Lu Gang, Ministry of Education Director of the Division of American and Oceanian Affairs in the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges Affairs Ms. Jing Wei, China Scholarship Council Secretary General Zhang Xiu-Qin and Deputy Secretary General Yang Xin-Yu, Washington University in St. Louis Chancellor Wrighton, University Chancellors, Presidents, Deans, and distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:

It is a great pleasure for me to visit Wuhan and address the 2007 International Graduate Scholarship Conference.  Ambassador Randt personally asked me to deliver his highest regards and express his regret at not being able to be here in person.

I understand that this is the third such annual conference; the first was held in 2005 in Beijing, followed by the 2006 conference in Shanghai.  Now it is Wuhan’s turn to host this event focusing on graduate education and international educational cooperation.

Wuhan is a particularly auspicious city to host this scholarly gathering because I understand that among Chinese cities, Wuhan ranks third in having the most number of higher education institutions in its metropolitan area. 

The U.S. Embassy has long recognized Wuhan’s importance as an educational center.  Seven years ago we opened an Education USA Advising Center housed in the library at neighboring Wuhan University.  The Education USA Center is still going strong providing information about study opportunities in the United States.  In the near future, we intend to open a Consulate General here – the first expansion of the United States diplomatic footprint in China in more than two decades.  A key focus of our newest consulate will be expanding educational and cultural exchanges between our two countries. 

I would like to take a moment to recognize the cooperation among the co-sponsors and the China Scholarship Council in bringing this conference to fruition.  Congratulations to the CSC, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Washington University, and the Responsive Ph.D. Group, whose combined efforts have provided the forum for us to be here today.

The United States and China excel in many fields of educational cooperation, and this is undoubtedly one of the strongest foundations of our bilateral relationship. 

In fact, last November, when the United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings visited China and met with Premier Wen JiaBao, Premier Wen emphasized the importance the Chinese Government attributes to educational cooperation and exchange between our countries. 

The November 2006 visit to China of Secretary Spellings was jointly led by Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs Dina Powell.  This historic delegation included twelve University Presidents from the United States, and was spawned from an important initiative of Secretary of State Rice and Secretary Spellings to get the message out that the United States welcomes qualified students from around the world.

The United States-China bi-national efforts in educational collaboration are based on two main agreements:  The “Agreement for Cooperation in Educational Exchanges” signed in the year 2000, and the “Memorandum of Understanding on Further Expanding Cooperation and Exchanges in the Field of Education,” signed last Fall by Minister of Education Zhou and Secretary Spellings.

These agreements commit both governments to expanding educational cooperation, and address topics such as teacher and student exchanges, research collaboration, facilitation of private study, and learning each other’s languages. 

The U.S.-China bilateral relationship is arguably one of the most important in the world, and benefits from investment and nurturing.  Both our societies value the importance of attaining a good education.  But it’s no longer enough to secure a good basic education in one’s hometown…today, ambitious young people seek more, they want a world-class education.  Acquiring an international perspective is critical in today’s fast paced and rapidly developing inter-dependent world.

And that is precisely what you are doing – investing in a world-class education, particularly in scholastic exchange at the graduate level.  These exchanges enhance mutual understanding, and contribute in very concrete ways to the vital U.S.-China relationship.  Superb Chinese and American graduate students are adding scholarly research findings to existing bodies of knowledge in important academic specializations, while deepening their knowledge, understanding and appreciation of other nations and cultures. 

Today’s educational exchanges among our students and teachers pay dividends long into the future and develop lasting ties leading our populations in shared and new directions.

The trajectory of Chinese graduate education is sharply upward.  According to Professor MA Wanhua from Peking University, (who is a recent Fulbright New Century Scholar), Chinese government reforms to change the face of China’s higher education system are well underway.  Dramatic enrollment expansion, institutional diversification, and the rapid development of Masters and Ph.D. programs, are all part of a larger effort by the government to increase China’s national economic competitiveness. 

At the same time, Chinese graduate education is still developing and faces challenges.  There is a need to both increase enrollment and to improve the quality of academic programs.  This is where the United States opening its doors in graduate education has already, and will continue to, significantly contribute. 

According to the Institute of International Education, China is the second leading country of origin for foreign students in the United States.  Last academic year there were 62, 582 Chinese students studying in the United States.  The majority of these students are at the graduate level.

China is growing in popularity among American study-abroad students, and has become the most popular destination for American students coming to Asia for foreign study.   Some 6, 389 U.S. students studied in China last year…or more, depending upon whether you include students coming to China on visits or short-duration study tours.

Of course, besides American students, currently there are many other countries represented among foreign students in China.  China is attracting the world’s attention and international educational collaboration with China is burgeoning. 

International educational collaboration takes many forms, from student and teacher exchanges, to credit recognition, to formal joint degree programs.

Although it is difficult to quantify precisely, there are estimated to be about 800 education partnerships jointly sponsored by Chinese and foreign institutes of learning, and the number continues to grow rapidly. 

Because of the proliferation of relationships in the field of education, China’s Ministry of Education has begun to carefully consider and vet the quality of education in these many international collaborative and joint-degree programs between Chinese and foreign institutions.  The accreditations are being announced one at a time.       

According to the Ministry of Education website, to date nine undergraduate-level, and seven graduate-level, Sino-American partnerships have been officially accredited, spread out among ten Chinese cities.  The Embassy is monitoring this accreditation process and will meet with Ministry of Education officials to learn more about the evaluation criteria. 

I certainly do not need to emphasize to this audience that educational collaboration is preparing young people to become leaders for the 21^st century.  I realize this is preaching to the choir.   

You have made it your business to know that in the current era of globalization, cross-cultural experience and an international perspective will be vital to achieving and maintaining competitiveness.  Both American and Chinese societies recognize that graduate education is a key to unlocking the door to individual and national prosperity.

What sets the United States higher education system apart from the rest of the world is that higher education is more accessible in the United States than in other countries with an unsurpassed range of choice, flexibility, creativity and cutting edge research. 

According to the U.S. National Center for Education Statistics and the Council of Graduate Schools, there are over 1,600 institutions in the United States that offer Master’s degrees and about 600 institutions conferring doctoral degrees.   

The United States remains the premier destination in the world for graduate study opportunities, and we will continue to welcome qualified Chinese students to study in America.  Secretary of State Rice and Secretary of Education Spellings have worked hard to ensure that qualified foreign students from around the world know they are welcome in the United States.  As those of us in the United States Diplomatic Service work hard to support this vision, we also recognize that you are the ones paving the way.  The professional associations that are taking place at this very conference are not only a convergence of mutual interests, but your activities exemplify the goals both our governments committed to support in the two Memorandums of Understanding I referred to at the beginning of my remarks.      

Toward this end, I congratulate all those participating in this year’s International Graduate Scholarship Conference.  I’m certain that the U.S. University Representatives here today will join me in encouraging CSC to convene conferences well into the future, continuing this good work. 

In closing, I would like to wish all the universities participating in this conference’s Educational Fair much success in attracting the best and brightest students to their campuses.  Good luck in all your scholarly endeavors.