Navigating the shifting terrain in US-China educational programs

• In Event: International Faculty in East Asian Higher Education: Theory and Reality

Proposal

Even in more normal times, collaborations between US and Chinese universities based in China face significant challenges, but the last few years have seen a cascading series of crises in the US-China relationship including fallout from a global pandemic, increasingly tense geopolitical relations, the perception of tightening restrictions around research and educational relationships, and rhetoric around US-China decoupling. Administrators and faculty in these US-China educational partnerships can find themselves in a difficult and sometimes paradoxical predicament, promoting a US university-based higher educational experience in China in a climate that seems increasingly less tolerant of narratives that don’t align with prevailing narratives as espoused by China’s leaders. As a result, these faculty members and program administrators have had to adopt a number of different strategies in order to navigate this increasingly complex terrain. Important questions have emerged such as how to attract, hire, and retain talented international faculty in these programs; how to navigate issues around academic freedom and increased censorship in China; and how to structure the university collaborations in a way that will be sustainable long-term. This qualitative, multi-site case study looks at how faculty and administrators in three specific US-Chinese university collaborations in China are navigating these challenges. Through the use of semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with administrators and faculty in these programs, I explore how individuals are thinking about these issues and the future prospects for these programs, and what kinds of strategies are being employed to ensure program viability.

Author

• Adam Jones, CET Academic Programs