University of Wisconsin-Madison professors from across disciplines including East Asian studies, political science and communication arts spoke at a panel Wednesday about the benefits the university can gain from its growing relationship with China.
Sara Guyer, director of the Center for the Humanities, which hosted the event, said there are about 1,000 students from China studying at UW-Madison as undergraduates and graduates at any time, and 4,000 Chinese students apply to the university every year.
Additionally, UW-Madison opened its Shanghai Innovation Office in China last June to encourage academic and professional collaboration between students and scholars in both countries.
Communication arts professor Zhongdang Pan, one of the panelists, said UW-Madison has a tremendous opportunity to benefit from the perspectives and experiences of people who visit from China, but also mentioned what the university could give.
“Being located in the state capital, I think this university has this unique opportunity to partner with the city or with the state to broaden the cultural engagement of Chinese students and scholars,” Pan said.
Highlighting the integration between Chinese studies and the state, Edward Friedman, professor emeritus of political science, said before Gov. Scott Walker leads a trade delegation to China this spring, he will receive a briefing from UW-Madison faculty.
“Historically, UW-Madison has been magnificent in international education,” said Friedman, adding the university usually receives more foreign area studies federal grants than other universities.
Friedman also mentioned the first American ambassador to China was a UW-Madison faculty member in the political science department. Additionally, the university was the first in the U.S. to create a doctorate program in Buddhist studies.
Friedman said despite looming funding challenges in public education, it is important for UW-Madison to continue to be a leader in Chinese and international studies.
“To me, China is like the United States in the sense that it is so important… that wherever you are in the world you can’t understand the world unless you understand your relationship to either China or the United States,” he said.
