Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Michelle Obama Speaks on Studying in China Initiative

Read Michelle Obama's speech here. 

From the White House: During the President’s visit to China he announced the “100,000 Strong Initiative” to increase both the number and the diversity of young people from the U.S. studying in China. Today, the First Lady highlighted a series of efforts that will help support this goal, including:
Secretary Clinton’s “Double the Numbers Challenge” to encourage college and university presidents to double the number of students who study in China, with an emphasis on reaching Hispanic Serving Institutions and Historically Black Colleges.
A new Community College Mini-mester program that provides shorter-term, more affordable study abroad opportunities.
The Chinese government has offered 10,000 scholarships for Americans studying in China. These “bridge” scholarships will cover all in-country costs and target high school and college students and teachers.
The D.C. Center for Global Education and Leadership (CGEL) will create up to 1,000 study abroad opportunities over the next four years in support of the President’s Initiative for students, teachers, and education policymakers from Washington, D.C. public and public charter schools, an underserved community.
The State Department has created a high-level federal advisory committee composed of prominent China experts and leaders in business, academic, and the non-profit worlds to help oversee these new programs and outreach efforts. Read more here.