Jump to: site navigation, content.

Monday, October 1, 2007

Confucius Institute to open on UTD campus


Non-profit center designed to promote Chinese language and culture.

How would this guy say "howdy?"

How would this guy say "howdy?"

This fall, the UTD campus will become home to one of 21 U.S.-based non-profit institutes designed to promote Chinese language and culture, operated with the participation of the People's Republic of China, the Office of Chinese Language International, the University of Texas at Dallas and China Three Gorges University. Dubbed "Confucius Institutes," 120 are currently up and running worldwide; this will be the first such center to open in Texas.

The center will be housed within the School of Arts & Humanities.

UTD President David E. Daniel puts it this way: "The establishment of a Confucius Institute is significant for the University. China’s growing economic and political power has created a palpable demand worldwide for Chinese language instruction and information about China by students, scholars and business and other professionals. The institute will provide this crucial knowledge to a variety of audiences in Texas.” (Including, perhaps, local businesspeople who deal with Chinese clients on a regular basis.)

Functionally, the institute will result in an expansion of the existing Chinese language educational curriculum; an expansion of the university's offerings in China and Asia studies; and the addition of workshops, public lectures and cultural programs to increase the China awareness level of North Texans. (How, for instance, does one say "Howdy" in Mandarin or Cantonese?)

The designation of UTD as a Confucius Institute site comes with an initial grant of $100K from the China Ministry of Education. Additional funding will be raised through grants, fundraising activities and the collection of fees for services/classes/artistic performances, with the eventual goal of making the institute financially self-sustaining.


posted by JM



Share: 
del.icio.us Digg DZone Facebook Fark Google Google Reader Reddit Slashdot StumbleUpon Technorati Twitter YahooBuzz YahooMyWeb YCombinator


fkemperwade3, anonymous:

Expand the universities cultural knowledge (i.e. Asian Culture) but why a Confucius Institute? Actually, wouldn't this not actually be supporting a religious or rather a World View?

5 years, 7 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

fkemperwade3, anonymous:

World View - Eastern Pantheistic Monism (look it up).

5 years, 7 months ago
Link to this comment | Suggest removal

What do you think?

:

:

 Find out how to share this comment with Facebook

See more stories in:


Faved or commented on by...

Latest comments...

Bike the Santa Fe Trail to these 10 landmarks and eateries

Paisano Restaurant is nearly on the trail. Their front door is about 100 feet from the trail where i


Lone Star Youth Orchestra Auditions

Due to some scheduling conflicts; June 1st auditions will be held at

4322 North Beltline Rd Irving


Stay connected