Presidential Blog

Sunday, June 18

Summer has certainly arrived in Beijing, with 90-degree weather and uncommonly clear blue skies – the usual brown cloud of smog leaving at least for the weekend.  Streets and sidewalk shops and restaurants are jammed with families enjoying the bit of perfect weather.

Saturday also brought with it an opportunity to talk about the UW, China and higher education issues on CCTV, the national Chinese broadcasting system.
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I was asked to participate in an English language show, called “Dialogue.”  The interviewer – China’s Diane Sawyer, I was told – was remarkably well informed about higher education issues and the University of Washington.

For the 30-minute show she grilled me on questions of tuition and affordability of a college education, expanding access for those in rural communities, and maintaining quality while supporting growing populations of students.

Once again the similarities between American and Chinese educational issues was apparent. But one striking differences leaps out to even the casual observer.  China is trying to compress generations of development and change into a handful of years. The rate and scale of change going on is simply staggering.

While we at the UW can change to holistic admissions by treating an  applicant as a unique individual, Chinese universities must deal with 9 million applicants every year!  We are concerned about integrating our two new campuses in Tacoma and Bothell with the Seattle campus, while Tsingjua University tries to coordinate over 100 satellite campuses with its Beijing campus.

The policy questions may be the same, but the scale and sense of urgency are strikingly different. One cannot help but be impressed by the fortitude and confidence that the Chinese leaders bring to these daunting tasks. And to recognize that they see themselves – rightly, I believe – in a race against time to solve social challenges before they are overwhelming.

Dinner with the Husky volleyball team

Among those learning about Chinese society and taking in the sights and sounds of this fascinating place are the Husky volleyball team and those UW supporters traveling with them.

I caught up with them Sunday night for dinner. In their first stop in China, they are 1 and 1 playing against skilled Beijing opponents. But the point of their trip is much more than athletic competition.

I was delighted to see this group of wonderful students relishing in all that China has to offer: historical sights, distinctive culture, plenty of local cuisine.

Like me, more than a few of them are ready for a great cheeseburger. And they will struggle to fit all their purchases in suitcases. But how fun to see them representing the UW to their Chinese hosts with the same energy and presence that brought them a national championship.

Friday, June 16

Today began and ended with two reminders of just how tightly connected our planet is becoming. First thing this morning, I discussed an issue on state policy with WSU President Lane Rawlins. Then as I rode back to the hotel from a late dinner this evening, I received comments on my first blog post during the trip from one of our UW students.

Nothing was unusual about the communications –  except where and when they took place: President Rawlins is roaming in South Africa, the student is studying in Munich and I am traveling around Beijing. Yet we communicated as easily as if we were in a meeting room together in Seattle.  What is most remarkable to me is that none of us gave this a second thought (at least I didn’t, until I started writing tonight).Â

The ease of travel and digital communication have made such interactions commonplace. And in turn, they have transformed our world and how we live in it. These transglobal connections were reinforced throughout my meetings today.

We have much to share with one other

With leaders of Peking and Tsinghua universities, as well as Education Ministry officials, I had engaging discussions about current and future collaborations between our faculties and students.

I was particularly interested to find that our hopes and concerns for our universities, our communities and our people are very similar.  The media tends to portray modern China as completely consumed with economic growth and commercialization.

To be sure, there is a remarkable amount of business development under way, but such matters were discussed little in our meetings. Instead, we talked about familiar topics:  providing affordable, accessible education for all our people; the thrill of pursuing scholarly discovery; the growing gap between rich and poor; high quality health care; sustainable urban development; addressing environmental degradation; preparing our students for global engagement.

There are certainly many differences between our universities and cultures, so we need to find distinctive solutions to our problems. But the commonalities are equally apparent, and we have much to share with one other.

It is for the U.S. and China to collaborate and engage with each other

My conversation in the afternoon with U.S. Ambassador Randt was also enlightening and positive. I, unwittingly and with some biases I am sure, anticipated hearing of a cautious, even concerned approach to U.S.-China relations. Instead, I heard just the opposite.

The ambassador spoke of the centrality of a vibrant and successful China to world peace and pointed out how critical it is for the U.S. and China to collaborate and engage with each other. His pleasure at seeing applications of Chinese students to American universities return to their pre-9/11 levels was apparent.

2008 Olympics: Beijing’s global coming out party

As for the city of Beijing, it is hardly recognizable from the place I first visited in 1989. While the boom times of China have focused mostly on Shanghai, Beijing is now fully in play as well. It has become a wonderfully vibrant and modern city.

Returning to the hotel tonight, we drove by the site of the 2008 Olympic village. With a huge stadium, gyms and housing complexes rising like mushrooms, it is an exciting sight.

I told one of my hosts that I suspect that the Olympics are going to be Beijing’s debut, a global coming out party. He clearly liked the idea.

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As I began my Asia trip in Hong Kong, I was reminded of my last visit here, nearly nine years ago. On that trip, I had the pleasure of attending an academic gathering to witness the transition of Hong Kong from British to Chinese oversight.

It was an exciting, historical moment, but I also recalled the obvious anxiety in the voices of many Hong Kong natives I met. Uncertainty about the future was muted by cautious optimism. Nonetheless, there was much concern about the direction Hong Kong would turn.

Throughout Wednesday’s meetings it quickly became apparent that Hong Kong has thrived under the “One Country – Two System” policy that was launched in 1997. There is a strong sense of confidence and energy about Hong Kong, and any sense of anxiety is long gone.

I especially enjoyed meeting UW alumni and friends who have become an integral part of the optimism and vibrancy of this exceptional place.

Alumni like Joseph Chan of Hutchison Global Communications, Mitchell Stocks from Latham and Watkins law firm, Lui Tong of Jilian’s Fashions, and hundreds more are engaged actively in the excitement of Hong Kong. When talking of this city-state’s future, they now share a vision of serving as the gateway to China, offering high-end financial, legal, and technical services and sourcing functions for the growing Chinese economy. It is thrilling to see so many Huskies actively shaping the future.

We will be posting photos soon that show we had a very successful alumni event, bringing together many Hong Kong alums for the first time. Lui Tong, as chair of the Hong Kong Alumni Association, did an absolutely wonderful job bringing this event off.

Through discussions with leaders of the University of Hong Kong and Chinese University, I learned more about the significant informal ties that already exist between their faculty and ours, and I heard about the high regard they already have for the UW because of those ties. It is certainly apparent that there are many opportunities for our faculty and students to work in partnership with these fine Hong Kong universities, something we agreed to pursue in the coming months.

I also was reminded that we have a long way to go to build the reputation and recognition of the UW. Too few of the business and government leaders — including U.S. State Department folks — know of the UW’s strengths or our position among research universities. The presence of dozens of American as well as international universities in Hong Kong makes for a crowded field. Advertisements for Australian universities run on local TV. We have to work hard to gain the international recognition that our faculty, students and staff have earned.

I’m University of Washington President Mark Emmert, and I head to China Monday to meet with dignitaries, alumni, business and government leaders, and friends of the university. I hope to update you on my journey whenever time and Internet connections permit. To learn more about the trip, visit my China page.