President Richard Brodhead left Durham Thursday to discuss sustainability at the Fourth Chinese-Foreign University Presidents Forum, which will be held in Nanjing.
The theme of the forum, which runs May 2-4, is “Enhancing Cultivation Quality of University Talents.” Presidents from more than 150 universities from around the world are scheduled to attend, including 120 presidents of Chinese universities.
This is Brodhead’s second visit to China in 2010, the first being for the ground breaking ceremony for Duke’s new campus in the city of Kunshan. Brodhead said he hopes this conference, along with the new Kunshan campus, will contribute to expanding relations between Duke and China.
“We expect to have a long-term presence in China that will continue to evolve as our faculty and students create new opportunities,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I look forward to meeting our counterparts from China.”
Michael Schoenfeld, vice president for public affairs and government relations, said Duke’s expansion in China makes it a valuable addition to the conference.
“Duke’s visibility in China has grown considerably in the last year or two and is an added benefit for both Duke and the conference,” Schoenfeld said. “Any conference that brings 150 universities—some of the major, top universities in the world—is a major event.”
The presidents of Yale University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, Oxford University and University of California, Los Angeles have also been invited to speak at the conference. Additionally, university presidents from major universities in the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Germany and Russia will be present. This is Brodhead’s first time attending the event.
According to the conference’s website, the forum will address teaching methods, constructing sustainable campuses, creating learning environments that foster innovative talents and evaluating talent cultivation. Government censorship is also a pressing issue in Chinese education, one which attendees hope is discussed in the forum.
“[Censorship in China] is a big issue,” said Charles Clotfelter, Z. Smith Reynolds professor of public policy, economics and law. “We’ve already discussed it here at Duke. It’s going to be an ongoing issue with any university in the U.S. that partners with any university in China.”
At the conference, Brodhead will discuss campus sustainability, specifically regarding Duke’s new campus in Kunshan. This campus will meet the high sustainability standards that Brodhead said “have become such an integral part of the Duke experience.”
He said the forum would be a learning opportunity for university presidents from all areas of the globe because they share a “common interest in the free flow of information and scholarly pursuits.”
“This marks the continuing growth of U.S.-China collaboration in higher education, but it is also important to note the global scope of the forum,” he said. “The fact that so many top universities from around the world are coming together shows that we have much to learn from each other.”
The forum was organized by the Chinese education ministry. This is the fourth conference since the inaugural event in 2002. The last forum was held in Shanghai in 2006.
“China is making huge investments in its university system,” Brodhead said. “Over time, we should expect China to develop a diverse system of higher education, perhaps not unlike the U.S., as the needs of the country for educated citizens continue to grow.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.