Commitment to Progress

Ever since Yung Wang, the first Chinese student to receive a degree from an American university, graduated from Yale in 1854, Yale has had a unique relationship with China. Thousands more Chinese students have graduated from Yale over the last century and a half. In 1991, when Richard Levin became president of Yale, the relationship became even more pronounced. Trying to transform Yale into an international institution, Levin especially strengthened the university’s focus on China. More than 80 different academic collaborations today make Yale and China committed partners in education. As Levin told the Globalist, he was “fortunate enough to be ahead of the curve in predicting the rise of China.”

So far, 17 schools and departments within Yale have established partnerships with 45 Chinese universities, government agencies, and independent research institutions. Yale College’s Peking University Exchange Program and the Light Fellowship enable and fund Yale undergraduates to study in China. Three research centers at Chinese universities allow Yale faculty to perform controversial genetics and nanotechnology research. In collaboration with U.S. Supreme Court judges, the Yale China Law Center has initiated major changes in Chinese law.

The variety and extent of programming is extensive, and one of the greatest products of this collaborative partnership is China’s efforts at education reform. The Yale-China Advanced University Leadership Program, which has brought Chinese university leaders to Yale, familiarizes leaders at Chinese universities with the benefits of a liberal arts education. This exchange is meant to encourage administrators to promote more creative and innovative thinking at their home institutions.

In many ways, the Yale 100 was a continuation of the educational exchanges Yale and China have pursued for decades. In focusing on education, it was even reminiscent of the Yale-China Advanced University Leadership Program. What differed with the Yale 100 were the participants. Instead of only university administrators, Yale 100 also put students from Yale directly in touch with Chinese students.

An American Legend

The American education system is of mythical proportions in the eyes of the Chinese. The Yale 100 was headline news in China for all ten days of the trip. When the delegation visited a rural village in Xi’an province, people gathered along the village’s streets to catch a glimpse of the American visitors famous from daily media coverage. But Yale was not just invited to China for celebration. The Chinese government wants to adopt parts of the American education system. At breakfast with the delegation, the Chinese Vice-Minister of Education expanded on China’s hopes behind the current reforms. By transferring control from central to local bodies, allowing the spread of private universities, and supporting a more multidisciplinary focus, the government hopes to improve the quality of Chinese education.

Additionally, China is starting to emulate American universities by moving towards a research-based system and encouraging competition among different institutions.

By collaborating with Yale, China is making progress on many fronts and its commitment to reform is encouraging. Still, a fundamental change in the university system’s attitude towards freedom of thought is necessary to achieve the progress the government seeks. However, by at least prioritizing educational reform, the Chinese government has demonstrated that it is aware of the importance of education reform for the future of the country.

Is China ready for a more permanent commitment than the ten-day visit of the Yale 100 delegation? When Levin asked a Chinese government official if China understood that education reform will likely have political consequences, she responded, “Yes, that’s inevitable.”

Perhaps China will actually have freedom of thought inside the classroom sooner rather than later.

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