MEDIA ADVISORY: MU to Announce Confucius Institute; Host Chinese Dignitaries on Campus
Story Contact(s):
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430
WHAT: University of Missouri officials and dignitaries from China will announce the opening of a Confucius Institute on the MU campus. The institute is a platform to promote greater understanding between Missouri and China through Chinese language teaching and learning, resident Chinese teacher preparation, Missouri-China business relationships, and research on issues of mutual interest.
WHO: Speakers at the opening ceremony include:
- Chancellor Brady J. Deaton
- Deputy Consul General Kun Lu
- Former U.S. Senator Kit Bond
- MU Vice Provost Handy Williamson
- President Jin Li of Shanghai Normal University, China
- Wen Ouyang, MU specialist for internationalization and communication,
- Superintendent Chris Belcher, Columbia Public School
- Michael Volz, Chinese program coordinator of the College of Arts and Sciences
WHEN: The opening ceremony will begin at 2:30 p.m., Friday, April 8
A concert for school children will begin at 10 a.m., Friday, April 8.
WHERE: The opening ceremony and the concert will be in Jesse Hall Auditorium on the MU campus.
NOTE: Currently, there are 82 Confucius Institutes in the United States and 322 Confucius Institutes around the world. The first institute was opened at the University of Maryland in 2004. The Confucius Institutes are funded by the Chinese government.