Observations on Higher Education in China
In November I had the opportunity to visit China for seven days with the College Board Hanban China Bridge Delegation. As a member of the San Diego Community College Board, I was assigned to the Higher Education Group of about 60 representatives from higher education institutions from throughout our country. Included in our group were representatives from other community colleges including Cerritos College and Rio Hondo College in California and many 4-year institutions including. San Diego State, Stanford, University of Washington, UCLA and many others.
This trip was a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Chinese culture and education. As with my previous trips, I am so impressed that a country with 3 billion people can run so efficiently and I continue to be impressed with China's dedication to education as an investment in their future.
What follows are some of my observations and thoughts. There are lessons for us to learn from and hopefully our nation can re-dedicate to stronger investments in public education so that we can remain competitive in the global economy in the years ahead.
Beijing Foreign Studies University
Our first university visit was to Beijing Foreign Studies University. We were greeted as we got off our bus by students and given a walking tour of the campus.
BFSU is a university that specializes in foreign language study etching more than 40 languages. Students here speak more than 2 languages and many study to enter diplomatic services or business as translators and interpreters.
We were then treated to a provocative lecture about the differences between Chinese and US public policy. Our visit concluded with a meeting with amazing students who shared their stories about their university.
Here is a video I took of one student sharing her story.
High Speed Train To Jinian
While the trip was filled with visits to cultural attractions, the university visits and the high speed train stood out.
Our ride south to Shandong Provence was amazing. A fast smooth train going plus 100mph through Chinese country side and through many large cities filled with high rise buildings. It makes me Sade for our country and the sad state our transportation system and Amtrak. The Beijing train station was modern and easy to navigate to our sleek train shown above.
Here is a view from the train as we are leaving the Beijing area.
Jinan Unilversity
Not to be outdone, Jinan University was even more amazing in many ways then BFSU. As a Provençal university of 35,000 students JU offers a full range of degrees. We visited the applied materials department and met with professors who discussed their advances in building materials cement and concrete to become lighter and more environmentally sustainable.
But it was the students who turned out to welcome us who stole the show.
Each of us had a student who we walked with and we had the opportunity to have great in depth discussions with our student and others. I was with Brenda from the coastal city nearby.
Brenda was a sophomore studying English looking forward to a career as a teacher or in business. Her family sounded lower middle class, her father raises oysters and her mother is a teacher.
I loved it when she described China to me as a country that was working. "To become a more harmonious society ".
Shandong on Qufu University
We visited two other Universities in the Shandong Province during our visit and both gave more examples of how much China is investing in higher education. Shandong U was very large around 60,000 students and was housed on a very modern campus. Again talking to students was the highlight and I was impressed by their language skills and interest in our country.
Qufu Normal University was older but still reflected a passion for education. This university focused on teacher training and had an interesting calligraphy institute that we visited.
Back to Beijing
On our final day we visited Remin University in Beijing. Here we heard a great lecture that outlined the educational reforms and investments that China has made in the last decade.
Overall, this trip reinforced my thoughts about the importance of giving our K-12 and college students a global perspective in education. To be globally competitive as a society we need to give our students a Multi lingual education and exposure to global issues and cultures.
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