News

BY THE YEAR 2010, the Ministry of Education in China estimates that 200 million people worldwide will be learning Chinese as a foreign language.

To facilitate this trend, China is establishing Confucius Institutes, including one at Portland State. The institutes promote Chinese language and culture.

The PSU Confucius Institute expects to offer short courses this summer in cultural awareness for business and travel. Chinese government funding will also support community outreach, library materials, and a visiting faculty member from Suzhou University, PSU’s sister school in southwestern China.

The University’s Chinese language classes have a ready audience. Last year, Portland Public Schools received a $700,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to double the number of students studying Chinese in its immersion programs—many of whom will become students in PSU’s Confucius Institute.