Frequently Asked Questions
1. Who are we?
2. What is our mission?
3. Who is our partnering institution?
4. What do we do for the campus community and beyond?
5. Feedback from the community
6. Suggestion Box
The Confucius Institute at UD is a partnership between the University of Delaware, Xiamen University and Hanban, devoted to the promotion of the Chinese language and culture. The institute’s director is on the faculty at the University of Delaware, and the co-director is on the faculty of Xiamen University. It is governed by a board of directors composed of four members from the University of Delaware and three members from Xiamen University.
The Confucius Institute at UD aims to promote the Chinese language and culture to the general public and facilitate cross-cultural understanding. We also promote international educational opportunities and improve international academic collaborations on campus and beyond by initiating and organizing a wide array of language and cultural activities, sponsoring academic and scholarly exchange programs, and providing information and consultative services about China’s education, culture, business and other topics.
Specifically, the Confucius Institute at UD does the following:
- Promotes Chinese language and culture.
- Develops programs that focus on international education and globalization; coordinates conferences and visiting scholars’ lecture series focused on China studies.
- Develops and implements grant programs such as the U.S. Department of State’s NSLIY and the U.S. Department of Education’s Startalk.
- Builds a strong bridge between Delaware’s private sector and its counterpart in China, fostering economic scholarship and entrepreneurship.
3. Who is our partnering institution?
The University of Delaware’s partner is Xiamen University, which is located in southern China. Consistently ranked among the top-tier institutions of higher education in China, Xiamen University is a major research institution with more than 38,200 students, about half of whom are graduate students. Like UD, Xiamen University is dedicated to globalization, enrolling more than 2,000 international students. Since 2007, UD and Xiamen have formed a strong academic partnership, and one of the highlights is the dual degree (Ph.D.) in oceanography, in addition to many other fruitful scholarly exchanges. Xiamen University supports the Confucius Institute at UD by providing Chinese language teaching resources. President Patrick Harker of UD and President Zhu Zhongshi of Xiamen University both highly recognize the importance of this partnership and speak enthusiastically of the contributions that the Confucius Institute has made to the globalization of both campuses.
4. What do we do for the campus community and beyond?
A major objective of the Confucius Institute at UD is to promote the Chinese language and culture to the campus community and the general public in the State of Delaware as well as in the Delmarva region. Since its inauguration, the institute has initiated, organized and sponsored a wide array of successful activities, events and programs for the campus community and the local community.
In addition, we have sponsored and co-sponsored international academic collaborative initiatives such as the China Forum, the UD-Peking University Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series, and the U.S.-China Student Forum. The institute also has helped organize the Delaware Chinese Teachers Association (DECTA) as a platform to promote and cultivate the instruction of Chinese language and culture in the academic mainstream in the greater Philadelphia region and provide a forum for the members to share and exchange their experiences and information in Chinese language and culture related teaching and administrative affairs. The ultimate objective is to facilitate cross-cultural understanding between the great peoples of America and China.
5. Feedback from the community
For a more extensive listing, please visit our Testimonials web page.
• In a recent letter to UD President Patrick Harker, Debbie Dintenfass, a native of Delaware, had this to say:
“I am so impressed with the University of Delaware’s Confucius Institute program that I simply had to write this letter. I applaud the University of Delaware’s vision in implementing the Confucius Institute program as part of the University’s Path to Prominence and globalization efforts. I believe the Confucius Institute program is having a fabulous impact on the University community as well as the community at large.”
• In her letter of thanks to the Confucius Institute at UD for organizing “Camp Ni Hao” in July 2013, which was part of Governor Jack Markell’s “Chinese Immersion Initiative,” Principal Sherry Kijowski of McIlvaine Early Childhood Center in Dover had this to say:
“I wanted to let you know what a tremendous help “Camp Ni Hao” was for our kindergarten immersion students. We were so impressed by the start of the immersion program this year and LOTS of parents said that attending the summer camp launched their child and made him/her ready to start speaking Chinese, eased anxiety on the first day of school, and helped our teachers get started even faster with rules and procedures in Mandarin. I can’t thank you and your staff (the Confucius Institute at UD) enough for all that you did!”
• Bronwyn M. Millman, AVP (Parent of a student at Downes) and Curriculum Consultant at Global Learning Delivery and Implementation said:
“I just wanted to let you know that (my son) LOVES the Chinese program that he attends after school on Wednesdays! He comes home each week and tells me all about what he has learned.”
• Rachel Hu, who recently watched a classical Chinese music concert presented by the Confucius Institute, said:
“Thank the Confucius Institute for bringing us such a wonderful concert. It is the best concert I have ever attended. How did you find so many talented Chinese teachers with special skills in performing arts? Will you offer Chinese music classes next semester? I want to learn how to play Chinese instruments from them!”
The Confucius Institute at UD is dedicated to serving the campus community, as well as the community at large by promoting Chinese language and cultural programming. We welcome suggestions and comments that would help us to do our job better. Please send your suggestions and comments to: confucius@udel.edu
We welcome you to visit us at 121 East Delaware Avenue, Newark, Delaware.