Chancellor Sam Goldman and other university administrators are preparing for a 10-day trip to China in an effort to bolster enrollment at SIUC.
As enrollment on the Carbondale campus decreased for the fifth consecutive year, Goldman said he is in the process of expanding existing arrangements with international universities for fall 2010.
“There are a lot of exciting things going on with respect to our international students, who I hope will contribute significantly to our enrollment next fall,” Goldman said.
Goldman said he and other university administrators are leaving this weekend to go to universities in China and Taiwan to set up and expand arrangements for student and faculty exchanges.
In February, the university entered into an agreement with the University of International Business and Economy, Beijing, to facilitate student and faculty exchanges. This fall, Goldman said 21 students from the university in Beijing have arrived to study on the Carbondale campus. Goldman said next fall that number could increase to 1,000 students.
Goldman said part of the trip would be to finalize plans to receive 1,000 students from the university in Beijing in fall 2010.
Carla Coppi, associate director of International Studies and Scholars, said there were 161 students from China enrolled at SIUC in February, the time Coppi does her official once a year census for the Institute of International Education.
As part of the effort to increase international enrollment, Goldman said the university is also looking into construction of a Confucius Center on campus, which would operate as a hub for teaching Chinese language and culture.
“It is a center for the teaching of Chinese, understanding Chinese culture and exchange of faculty and students,” Goldman said.
Coppi said the center would be built in partnership with Zhengzhou University, located in the Henan province of China.
According to the Associated Press, there are nearly 60 of these centers throughout the United States, mostly at state universities, and 396 globally in 87 countries. Most university centers receive initial funding and faculty from China.
The AP explains that many observers see the centers as part of China’s efforts to reshape its image and establish close relationships within the United States. According to the official Xinhua News Agency, the Chinese government plans to establish 500 of these centers by 2010.
Coppi said the proposal is very recent, so many details have not been decided yet, including a location. There is a possibility of it being housed in the College of Liberal Arts, Coppi said, but everything still needs to be discussed further.
“This is all in its infancy stage right now, particularly with the Zhengzhou agreement,” Coppi said.
Goldman said he has a proposal for the center and further details would be discussed during the trip, but nothing has been finalized as of yet.
Ramanarayanan Viswanathan, interim dean of the College of Engineering, said he is leaving Thursday for a 12-day trip to India, where he said he aims to increase the amount of students at SIUC from India.
Coppi said, as of February, there are 440 students from India enrolled at SIUC.
Viswanathan said arrangements are still being worked on, and nothing has been finalized yet.
“We are still working on it; hopefully we’ll be able to finalize some of those things within a few months,” Viswanathan said.
Madeleine Leroux can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 254.
