AASCU recently launched the 2020 China Studies Institute (CSI) Webinar Series.

The CSI Zhi-Xing China Academic Impact Fellowship typically involves three weeks of intensive seminars, lectures, site visits and cultural activities in China. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, AASCU canceled the in-person 2020 CSI program, but established the webinar series to cover several key topics that have been popular with CSI participants.

This allows AASCU members to continue to learn from scholars and education administrators about Chinese civilization, history, language, business and education and to gain strategies for incorporating Chinese studies into courses on their campuses.

The first webinar of the series took place on July 14 and focused on “China Student Mobility in the Global Pandemic.” About 40 faculty members, senior international officers and program coordinators attended the webinar.

Sufei Li, AASCU’s manager of international programs, kicked off the webinar with a quick overview of CSI. Next, Xuesong Sheng, deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Education Association for International Exchanges (CEAIE), reviewed the CEAIE’s partnership with AASCU for the past decade. In the past five years, 63 scholars have been invited and visited China through the program, and they, in return, have established strong academic collaborations and scholarly exchanges with China for their students and institutions.

Yang Xinyu, minister-counselor of the Chinese Embassy, analyzed the current Chinese student mobility trend and provided recommendations for future potential cooperation in higher education between China and the U.S. She emphasized that the institutional exchanges are highly appreciated and encouraged by schools and students in both countries. She also recommended the American Short-Term Study in China Initiative for American students, especially from AASCU institutions, to study in China.

Colleen Marchwick, director of the Center for International Education at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, shared her experiences and UW-Eau Claire’s practice model with a Chinese partner institution for providing services and helping Chinese students during the pandemic, including easing the anxiety of parents and students.

Don Betz, AASCU’s executive director of international programs, closed the meeting by stating that our institutions welcome Chinese international students, and all the students on our campuses will be well taken care of. He believes that people-to-people exchange will continue, and it is the real connection for China and the U.S.

You can view the recording of the webinar here. To attend future CSI webinars, view the upcoming sessions. Please contact Sufei Li at Lis@aascu.org with any questions.