In an effort to enhance Duke's reputation in China, Blue Devils have taken courting the Asian giant into their own hands.
Last June, the Duke University Chinese Student and Scholar Association launched DukeChina.org in order to connect Chinese students within the larger Duke community. The website also serves a broader goal of strengthening the University's relationship with China.
Since it was first launched, the site has accumulated over 100,000 hits, averaging 11,000 hits each month-with almost 30,000 hits in March alone.
"I venture to say this website is the best website among all Chinese student associations in all U.S. universities," said Xing Zong, president of DCSSA. "If Duke wants to promote its reputation, this website is definitely a great and huge source."
Zong, a third-year physics graduate student, and Wei Chen, a second-year physics graduate student, set up the student-run website to target current and prospective Chinese students, parents of Chinese students and administrators at Chinese institutions.
"DukeChina.org is part of an iterative process through which Duke's ties with China are growing," said Gil Merkx, vice provost for international affairs. "It was made possible by those ties, but it also makes a real contribution to strengthening those ties."
Although the University does not regulate the site, the website has received increased attention from members of the administration, Zong said, adding that in a recent meeting with Merkx and Provost Peter Lange, Merkx expressed interest in sharing the website with the Board of Trustees.
"This is a wonderful example of student initiative making a difference," Merkx said. "They are giving potential students in China a real feel for what it is like to be a Chinese student at Duke."
The website-which is primarily in Chinese with supplementary English-features news and content regarding academics, sports, student life and famous alumni.
In the section "Administration Interview," Duke's top brass discusses the University's stance on the global stage, with an emphasis on China. Another series-"Blue Devils Forever"-features the people and tradition behind Duke basketball.
"Basketball is the spirit of Duke and a language that can be understood universally," Zong wrote in a letter introducing the site to the DCSSA general body. "People in China will understand that Duke is excellent in combining academia and athletics together."
DukeChina.org represents one prong in the University's push for stronger Duke-China relations-an effort that met a setback in 2003 when the Chinese government blocked access to Duke's homepage.
Although the causes for the extended block-which was removed in January 2004-remain unknown, some administrators attribute the drop in the number of applicants from China for the fall semester 2004 to it.
Many international students from China said they find DukeChina.org to be a useful mechanism for reaching out.
"It's a good opportunity for the organization to gauge the response of the University and the general public," said sophomore Sophia Xia from Guangzhou, China.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.