Founded in May 2006, the institute has quickly become a leader in Chinese education—earning the distinction of Confucius Institute of the Year in December 2007.
Established in collaboration with the Chinese government, the institute offers online Chinese courses for K-12 students and adults, a Chinese instructor training program and podcasts of video-based Chinese learning materials.
The institute, housed in MSU’s College of Education, has about 10 staffers and is led by Executive Director Yong Zhao, University Distinguished Professor and a Chinese native. The institute is overseen by an executive advisory board chaired by MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon.
The Chinese Ministry of Education plans to increase the number of existing Confucius Institutes around the world from 210 to 500 by the year 2010. MSU’s institute was one of only four in the United States and 20 worldwide to be named Confucius Institute of the Year in 2007.
For more on MSU’s Confucius Institute, see confucius.msu.edu.
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