Auburn Montgomery selected as site of new Confucius Institute

Dr. Veres and Dr. Ho traveled to Beijing in late March, where they formalized AUM’s partnership with Hanban at its headquarters on March 23.

The Office of Chinese Language Council International, or Hanban, has cleared the way for Auburn University at Montgomery to establish a Confucius Institute on campus, joining a network of more than 300 organizations worldwide to promote Chinese language and culture.

“We are incredibly proud to be able to establish the AUM Confucius Institute, and we consider our partnership with the Office of Chinese Language Council International one of this university’s highest honors,” said Chancellor John G. Veres III. “This achievement is a testament to the vision and hard work of all those associated with AUM’s Far Eastern Initiatives and to the relationships we have built with the faculty, staff and students of our 33 sister universities in China.”

Veres and Special Assistant to the Chancellor Yaw-Chin Ho, head of the Office of Far Eastern Initiatives, traveled to Beijing in late March, where they formalized the university’s partnership with Hanban at its headquarters on March 23. Hubei University of Economics, located in Wuhan, has been assigned as AUM’s academic partner in China.

Sketch of AUM Confucius Garden, coming fall 2012.

The AUM Confucius Institute will promote Chinese language and culture both on campus and in the surrounding community, including local K-12 schools. In September, the university will dedicate a Confucius Garden on campus, with guests from Hanban travelling from China to take part in the event and celebrate the establishment of the new institute.

Established in 2004 to promote the teaching of Chinese culture and language abroad, Confucius Institutes are non-profit public organizations aligned with the Chinese government through the Ministry of Education. They are named in honor of Confucius, a Chinese politician, teacher and philosopher who lived 551-479 B.C.

The Office of Far Eastern Initiatives provides support to international visitors from the Asian Pacific, including visiting scholars, administrators and students. AUM already has exchange agreements in place with 33 universities in China, with students from Shanghai University of Politics and Law studying abroad on campus, and more than 100 Chinese students currently pursuing degrees at the university.

April 23, 2012