Moderator: SUSAN NESBITT, Director of Continuing Education, University of Connecticut and Chair, UCEA Global Associates Knowledge Network
Speakers: TIMOTHY CHEEK, Professor and Chair of Chinese Research, Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia;
JAMES PAPPAS, Vice President for University Outreach, University of Oklahoma;
SARAh STEINBERG, Associate Dean, Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University;
GAOMING ZhANG, Doctoral Student in Learning, Technology and Culture, Michigan State University;
MACKIE CHASE, Director, Centre for Intercultural Communication, University of British Columbia

    As China’s astounding economic growth pushes it towards becoming the world’s fourth largest economy after the United States, Japan and Germany by the end of this year, the size of its middle-class population has grown by hundreds of millions, giving rise to an insatiable demand for higher education. In response, the Chinese government has introduced a number of new measures to expand access to higher education. One such measure was opening up the sector to joint efforts between Chinese universities and their international counter-parts which, according to the World Bank, has resulted in more than 700 foreign academic programs in operation in China today. China’s Ministry of Education estimates that 124 million Chinese will reach college age by 2008 and that the country needs to establish at least another 800 colleges in the next 15 years to meet the demand for post-secondary education. Given that the government’s priority in public education spending over the next five years will be rural primary education, China’s higher education sector has no choice but to finance its development through private companies and foreign universities.
    With the lure of the size of the Chinese market, many U.S. and Canadian institutions have already started programs there and many more are seriously considering moving in that direction. But as many of the business entrepreneurs who came before them learned the hard way, American and Canadian educators are finding that the streets of China are not paved with gold and that there are many pitfalls.
    TIMOTHY CHEEk will start the Symposium by setting the stage for discussions that will follow. He will speak about contemporary China, its importance in the region and the world, and some of the challenges that the country faces such as democratization and the role of intellectuals, a special research focus of his. He is the author of many books and papers, including Mao Zedong and China’s Revolutions: A Brief History with Documents.
    JAMES PAPPAS will present an interesting example of a partnership between private sector, government, university, and a Chinese company, Nanjing Automobile Group Corporation (NAG). The agreement calls for NAG to build MG automobiles in Ardmore, Ok (along with plants in Nanjing, China and Birmingham, England) in partnership with the state, city, a Native american tribe, and the University of Oklahoma. Criteria and guidelines for successful international partnerships will form a central part of the presentation.
    SARAH STEINBERG will address the issue of customizing professional curricula for international markets by presenting a Johns Hopkins case-study of the M.S. Bioscience Regulatory affairs degree that she and her colleagues have developed for the Chinese market. In addition to pointers about international partnerships, the presentation will also provide valuable in-sights into developing a multi-disciplinary degree program for overseas delivery.
    GAOMING ZHANG will examine the issue of online higher education in China by presenting her research on Internet Colleges. among the new measures introduced by the Chinese government to increase access to higher education, is the formation of “Internet Colleges”—units within existing universities that are dedicated to offering higher education programs online. Zhang and her co-authors recently published their research findings in EDUCAUSE Review in an article entitled “The Life of Internet Colleges: Policies, Problems, and Prospects of Online Higher Education in China.” This presentation will be of interest to any educator or institution of higher education that is contemplating developing and/or offering an online course or program in China.
    MACKIE CHASE will present examples of English language programs run by universities in the US and Canada for Chinese student groups: successes and frustrations. Who is coming and why? What are the challenges from the perspectives of the Chinese students and the domestic students, Chinese and North American partners? The presentation will address changing motivations, expectations and perceptions and the impact on English language programs in our universities. Based on experiences at her own institution, Chase will present key factors in preparation, curriculum development, and support for students and teachers.