In our increasingly globalized economy, people are calling education the new world currency. This idea plays well into numerous efforts at Northern Arizona University including the China Initiatives, which is increasing global education, research and exchange through partnerships with Chinese universities.
This month, a new group is traveling to NAU to begin a new academic year. About 330 Chinese students will be living in Flagstaff, gaining a new educational perspective, creating global learning opportunities in the classroom and contributing to the local economy.
Daniel Palm is director of China Initiatives at NAU’s Center for International Education. He says the approximately $10 million Chinese students add to the economy each year is just part of the windfall of the educational exchange; some Flagstaff-based companies with overseas markets also benefit. “We have students who stay on and do internships and then go on to work at these particular companies and help them branch into other markets such as China. And companies need these kinds of graduates that have experience in both countries to really bridge the gap between the two types of markets and products,” said Palm.
The President of Flagstaff’s Chamber of Commerce, Julie Pastrick, says international students, like those from China, add an important cultural and global perspective to the city. “I applaud NAU for cultivating this relationship with China over the years and after personally visiting China on an economic development tour, my eyes are wide open to just how much Chinese students value American education and how critically important it is for Flagstaff and NAU to remain at the center of globalizing our local economy,” said Pastrick.
China has the largest population in the world and a relatively young university system. With the country’s rapid climb as an economic powerhouse, Chinese officials are scrambling to meet growing educational demands.
NAU partnerships with Chinese universities go back 25 years, with the biggest growth seen this century. What began with some international students and regular faculty exchanges has evolved into numerous educational options. Students can do the first year of college in China, the second and third years at NAU, and then return to their home university for the fourth year. Other students are choosing to divide the time in half, spending the junior and senior years in Flagstaff and often going on to graduate school in the United States. The undergraduates earn a degree from both colleges. Today, NAU has agreements with 40 Chinese universities.
Liz Grobsmith travels overseas to participate in graduations of NAU students in China. As a senior advisor to NAU’s president for strategic and international initiatives, Grobsmith has witnessed the increased demand for an American education, especially from China and Saudi Arabia, whose students make up the largest groups of international students. “The walls keep a tumbling down,” said Grobsmith, Ph.D., who predicts additional educational exchanges with countries like Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Turkey and India. “They realize there is something different about American higher education and they want it. That is a commodity that gives their students a different perspective on world learning. We have to be open to be receiving what is changing about the world and we have to be able to respond to it,” added Grobsmith.
These attitudes are reflected among university administrators elsewhere. Jian Cai is director of international exchange and cooperation at Beijing International Studies University. She speaks fondly about her time at NAU while reflecting on the globalization of university campuses everywhere. “The world is a global village with internationalization bringing people from different cultures and different races together,” said Cai. She believes this process is enhancing understanding and bringing a greater potential for peace. “In China, we have a saying that the younger generation is the future of the world. So, if students, through education, get this global feel, then they are well-adapted to the changing world.”
Bruce Wang embodies these ideas. He says he has enjoyed a complete transformation since coming to the U.S. in 2008. When he arrived at NAU, he was hungry until he learned how to order a sandwich. Today, he speaks fluent English and divides his time between Flagstaff and Beijing, where he facilitates the educational experience for others.
“Many people say nowadays that international education has become a product. As a consumer of this particular product myself, I look back on life and I feel that what I have truly gained is definitely more than a product. It’s an unprecedented life experience that has changed my perspectives in life,” said Wang.
The Chinese education system is undergoing some reforms, says Wang, but traditionally it is a rigid, lecture-based process. Like many international students who come to the U.S., Wang was initially shocked by the university instruction at NAU, where students are encouraged to challenge ideas in the classroom. “The education here really focuses on academic freedom and training students to be self sufficient, motivated, and driven learners.” This new style of learning, small class sizes and professors who remembered his name by the second week of class, created a greater appreciation in Wang, who enjoys working for NAU’s Center for International Education in Beijing and Flagstaff.
International exchanges are in a growth cycle, with American students enjoying opportunities to study in China and other countries, as well as more faculty seeking exchange experiences overseas. NAU recently opened an office in Beijing, and the future will likely see more NAU faculty traveling to China to teach classes, along with the faculty exchanges and research collaborations already underway.
As American universities continue work to attract the brightest minds to their classrooms, university administrators are continually looking for ways to improve on the system. Partnering with institutions, the way NAU is doing with its Chinese counterparts, is one part of the equation and working to expand understanding of internationalization is another. The conversation also includes preparing American students for this new world economy, where the desire for intellectual capital is creating a powerful new currency. FBN
Sidebar: Harvey Charles is NAU’s Vice Provost. He spoke to FBN after press time about Northern Arizona University’s China Initiatives.
- To deliver academic coursework on the campuses of our partner universities, in the context of degree programs offered by NAU and the host institutions
- To deliver short term academic training in China for students and professionals
- To develop dual graduate programs that would involve the participation of Chinese and NAU students
- To develop coursework involving the partnership of Chinese and NAU faculty
- To pursue join research endeavors between NAU and Chinese faculty
- To send NAU students in larger numbers for study in China
- To send NAU student to pursue internship opportunities in China
- To deliver training to Chinese university administrators on university governance
- If the circumstances are right, if the resources are available, and if it will serve the best interests of NAU, possibly establishing a campus in China.”
Editor’s note: FBN’s Theresa Bierer traveled to China this summer to work on a TV documentary. She interviewed Chinese education officials, university faculty members, and professionals who attended college in the U.S.