State Sec. Kerry, China’s Vice Premier Liu Yandong, To Witness Historic Award Launch Of 1,000 Scholarships For HBCU Diverse Student Study In China
(BEIJING) - Complementing a delegation of presidents and senior administrators from eight American Historically Black Colleges & Universities departing today for Beijing, U.S. Sec. of State John Kerry makes his sixth trip to Asia since becoming America's top diplomat, as he and China's Vice Premier Madam Liu Yandong, China's highest-ranking government official overseeing education, co-host the 5th U.S.-China Consultation on People to People Exchange (CPE) meeting in Beijing, July 9-11, 2014. The CPE is designed to enhance and strengthen ties between the citizens of the United States and the People's Republic of China in the areas of culture, education, science and technology, sports, and women's issues.
The trip is the culmination of the collective works of the Chinese government and the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation (CUSEF), a Hong Kong-based nonprofit organization that encourages and facilitates exchanges among public policy makers, civic leaders, think tanks, academia, and business organizations in the U.S. and China to enhance understanding and mutually beneficial relationships. CUSEF hosted and organized the first meeting of the HBCUs with Vice Premier Liu during the HBCU's first visit to China in September 2013.
At the CPE meeting, Sec. of State Kerry and Vice Premier Liu will participate in a ceremony where 1,000 scholarships will be placed on record for HBCU diverse students to study in China. Vice Premier Liu Yandong announced plans to award the 1,000 scholarships at a November 2013 Capitol Hill meeting in Washington, D.C. between leadership of the Congressional Black Caucus and HBCU presidents from Howard University, Morgan State University, Tougaloo College and Xavier University of Louisiana.
Dr. David Wilson, president of Morgan State University, is the HBCU delegation's chairman and spokesperson during the trip. 'We're honored that Sec. Kerry and Madam Liu Yandong will co-host the 5th U.S.-China Consultation on People-to-People Exchange,' said Dr. Wilson. 'And, on behalf of the
HBCUs in the U.S., we're delighted to be a part of this historic moment in progressive global student exchange and study. This collaboration between the Chinese government and HBCUs provides an excellent opportunity to enable our students to become competent in Chinese history and culture, and will significantly enhance their abilities to be successful global leaders throughout the world.'
'After four years of collaborative work on the part of the HBCUs, the China-U.S. Exchange Foundation, and African American and Chinese leaders, it is gratifying to see our collective vision come to fruition through the official awarding of 1,000 short and long term scholarships for American minority students to study in China,' said Alexander Tzang, CUSEF's special advisor. 'This event is a historic milestone that we believe will be the continuation of many rewarding things to come.'
The other HBCU delegates to Beijing are: Dr. Beverly Hogan, president of Tougaloo College, Dr. John S. Wilson, Jr., president of Morehouse College; Dr. Pamela Hammond, provost of Hampton University; Dr. Weldon Jackson, provost of Bowie State University; Dr. Myra Burnett, vice provost of Spelman College; Dr. Barbara Inman, V.P. for Student Affairs, Hampton University; Dr. T. Joan Robinson, V.P. Division of International Affairs, Morgan State University; Dr. Anthony Wutoh, Assistant Provost for International Affairs, Howard University; Dr. Kathleen Kennedy, dean of the School of Pharmacy, Xavier University of Louisiana; Dr. Clarissa Myrick-Harris, dean of Humanities & Social Sciences, Morehouse College; Dr. Loye Ashton, director of International Studies, Tougaloo College; and Dr. Ruihua Shen, director of Chinese Studies, Morehouse College.
A key meeting for the HBCUs in Beijing is the HBCUs-Chinese Universities Roundtable where they will engage in dialogue with their Chinese university counterparts to discuss mutually agreed upon processes for implementing the 1,000-scholarship award initiative. A key goal of the Collaboration is to encourage and increase international educational study opportunities for diverse students to study in China. It is anticipated that Sec. Kerry and Vice Premier Liu will witness the signing of the scholarship commitment from the Chinese Government to the HBCUs to encourage Collaboration between Chinese universities and HBCUs.
The HBCU delegation's visit from the U.S. side is managed and organized by Julia Wilson, CEO and founder of Wilson Global Communications, an international consultant to the HBCU pilot group, and the liaison representative for the China-United States Exchange Foundation (CUSEF). In China, the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), China's nationwide nonprofit organization conducting international educational exchanges and cooperation on behalf of the Ministry of Education is managing logistics.
Carol C. Crabbe
Executive Director, Programs
Wilson Global Communications