China Partnerships Thrive Despite Emory-Tibet Ties

Saturday, October 09, 2010

Emory Wheel
By Nina Dutton
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File Photo: His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Emory University

His Holiness the Dalai Lama will make his second visit to Emory as a presidential distinguished professor from Oct. 17 to 19. Yet even as the University welcomes the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, who is a controversial figure in China , Emory’s academic, scientific, cultural and charitable ties with China are increasing in strength and number.

Despite the development of these beneficial relationships with Chinese entities, however, the University’s administration acknowledges that disagreements with the Chinese government remain.

“Occasionally we receive communications from the Chinese consulate in Houston expressing regret that we have built relationships with the Dalai Lama, and we sometimes hear that the Emory website has been blocked in China because it contains information about the Dalai Lama,” Vice President and Deputy to the President Gary Hauk wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel.

In addition to the Dalai Lama’s professorship, Hauk also cited the Emory-Tibet Partnership as a point of dissent with the Chinese government. The partnership was formed in 1995 to foster collaboration and the exchange of ideas on topics in the areas of culture, philosophy, religion, science and health. A major component of the partnership is the Emory-Tibet Science Initiative, which supports the development of a science curriculum and the training of more than a hundred Tibetan monastics in science education.

Differences in opinion are unavoidable between Emory and its many international partners, particularly in the area of freedom of communication, according to University President James W. Wagner.

“There is no denying that the openness of universities in general and Emory in particular to disparate cultures — Tibetans, Chinese, Israeli, Palestinian, etc. — can be a source of consternation for some, both on-campus and off-campus. There also is no denying that the liberties afforded by disparate governments around the world often vary from those afforded to citizens in our country,” Wagner wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel. “We should not be surprised, therefore, when on occasion groups or governments move to limit access to or restricted visibility of the Emory community when they deem that actions or events on campus are offensive to them.”

In response, the University has registered formal appeals for reconsideration of the Chinese government’s restriction of access to the Emory website, Wagner wrote. Many pages on the website, such as those of academic departments, are still inaccessible from China , according to College senior Stephen Goldberg, who has spent two semesters and two summers studying and working in China .

Goldberg said that there is “a level of discomfort” associated with telling those he meets in China that the Dalai Lama is an honorary professor at Emory. However, he sees value in Emory’s relationships with entities on both sides of the China-Tibet divide.

“I believe the issues between the Chinese government and the Dalai Lama are exactly that; it’s between those parties. ... I would hope that Emory doesn’t jeopardize its ties with the Confucius Institute and other educational institutions in China ,” Goldberg said. “[Emory’s relationship with the Dalai Lama] doesn’t need to bring with it this political tension because he’s an extremely interesting individual and has a lot to offer.”

Whether over freedom of communication or Emory’s engagement with exiled Tibetan monastics, disagreements with the Chinese government have not hampered the development of the Emory’s partnerships with seven Chinese institutions of higher learning and the Confucius Institute (CI) in Atlanta .

“[The CI] is based on understanding of China and foreign countries,” said Jian Chen, assistant to the director of the CI and a Chinese instructor at Emory. “Instead of focusing on research on Confucius himself or classical literature, the CI aims to promote language and teacher training in countries abroad.”

Affiliated with the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) and the Chinese Education Ministry, the CIs promotes instruction in Chinese language and culture around the world, Chen said. He added that the CI is not involved in political issues in China or any other country.

The CI in Atlanta was established in 2008 as a collaboration between Nanjing University , Emory and Atlanta Public Schools . Chen said this particular partnership arose because of Emory’s status as a prestigious university in the south and Nanjing ’s historical role as the “southern capital” of China .

Emory has cooperated with other Chinese universities through the Emory Global Health Institute-China Tobacco Control Partnership. Established through a grant from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to reduce the burden of tobacco use on china, the partnership encompasses several individual research programs. Projects with these programs address topics ranging from the prevention of smoking to agricultural and economic aspects of tobacco production, according to an April University press release.

During the past five years, Emory has been making ever-larger efforts to recruit applicants to its own university programs, according to Dean of Admissions Jean Jordan.

“We just completed our second recruiting trip to China this fall and were part of a group of colleges invited to work with high school counselors and students during the summer. We began our focus with American high schools and international schools but are working to increase our outreach to the national schools — focusing on those with foreign language programs and those that are beginning new programs that include AP, IB and A levels,” Jordan wrote in an e-mail to the Wheel.

Jordan cited Chinese students’ “global perspective” and the benefits of a strong population of alumni in China as reasons for Emory’s admissions publicity blitz in that country.

The Emory Chinese Student Association (ECSA) organizes events, such as Lunar New Year celebrations, to help new international students from China meet peers and acclimate to college life in the United States, said Rena Gu, who is ECSA vice president.

The reach of another student-led organization, Emory China Care (ECC), extends not only across campus but also around the world. Emory’s chapter of the China Care Foundation hosts concerts, banquets and baked goods sales to fund health care for children in China suffering from medical problems such as lip clefts and heart disease, according to ECC vice president Weijia Zhu, a Goizueta Business School junior.

“Once they become healthy, we’ll enter them into the adoption process,” Zhu said. “Those children who are cured are sometimes adopted by American parents and sometimes by Chinese parents.”

The newest China-focused student group at Emory, Global China Connection (GCC), will provide networking opportunities for students at Emory and Chinese universities with professionals in different fields by participating in annual conferences in both countries, according to Yichen Liu, a graduate student on GCC’s executive board.

While the main goal of the GCC will be to help Emory students prepare for work in China and learn from Chinese students about their culture, Liu said, the GCC’s proposed activities could also boost Emory’s name recognition in China .

“Not a lot of people know what Emory is in China , so I think [the GCC’s work] could be good for both the University and students.” Liu said.