UAA Confucius Institute hosts conference of partner institutions June 23-27

International partners work to build prosperous connections in culture and business

UAA Confucius Institute (UAA CI) will host the first Northeast Normal University Confucius Institute Affiliates' Conference June 23-27. The conference brings together delegations from UAA's Chinese partner institution Northeast Normal University (NENU) based in Changchun and from NENU's other affiliated Confucius Institutes at Dong-A University in Pusan, South Korea and Valencia University in Valencia, Spain. Officials of the Chinese Consulate General in San Francisco will also be attending.

UAA CI Director Paul Dunscomb says, "The purpose of the conference is to bring together all of the partners of NENU so we can discuss future plans and prospects, best practices and avenues for future cooperation."

A conference highlight will be a special lunch, hosted by UAA's Office of International Affairs, for the conference delegations and representatives from UAA CI's community partners. "It demonstrates the reach of the Confucius Institute through programs based right here in Anchorage to our international partners in China and elsewhere," says Director Dunscomb. Jay Jackson of the Anchorage Mayor's office will attend along with Carol Comeau and Janice Gullickson of the Anchorage School District, executive board members of the Alaska Chinese Association, the Alaska International Education Foundation and the World Trade Center Alaska.

The UAA Confucius Institute opened in September 2009. It is part of a global program sponsored by the Office of Chinese Language International Council (Hanban). The principal mission of the UAA CI is to help Alaskans learn Chinese language and culture to assist them in building ties and promote interaction with our important neighbor.

The delegations from NENU will be led by President Shi Nizhong; Foreign Affairs Office Dean, Zhao Junfeng; Provost of the College of Education, Ma Yunpeng; and Program Director of the Foreign Affairs Office, Li Yingge. The University of Valencia Confucius Institute delegation will be led by Director Vincente Andreu, Chinese Director Zhou Fuqin and Senior Administrator Jose Vicente Castello. The delegation from Dong-A University will be led by University President, Cho Kyoo-hyang; CI Director Kim Jyong-hyun and Chinese Director Sun Qilin. Education Consuls Shao Wei and Yan Li will represent the Chinese government.

"We're particularly excited about the opportunity to learn from the experience of Valencia University who has been honored by Hanban as a premier Confucius Institute," says Director Dunscomb. "Building relationships is a very important part of Chinese culture and having the chance for such extended talks and activities can really build solidarity between the various institutions. We hope to have more such conferences in the future."