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USC and PC awarded Confucius Institute to promote Chinese language and culture in South Carolina, Clemson University, Furman University, Wofford College, and Converse College will also play a role in this exciting new educational and cultural opportunity

The University of South Carolina and Presbyterian College have been selected to host a program that will teach and promote Chinese language and culture in South Carolina.

PC will be the host site for one of two Confucius Institutes awarded in the state of South Carolina by the Office of Chinese Language Council International (Hanban), headquartered in Beijing. The other Confucius Institute in South Carolina will be housed at the University of South Carolina.

PC's plan to utilize the Confucius Institute has three areas of emphasis. The first is the expansion of the college's existing Chinese language and culture program that has been developed over the last several years in partnership with China's Guizhou University. For example, China will send 3,000 volumes related to the study of the country for the college's library and will send language instructors to teach on behalf of the Institute.

PC also will partner with the State Department of Education and a coalition of four other upstate institutions -- Clemson University, Furman University, Wofford College, and Converse College -- to develop a plan for teaching Chinese language in the public schools of South Carolina.

Recognizing China's role as a business partner in the state, the Confucius Institute also will partner with the Upstate Alliance and the state's Global Trade Consortium to promote Chinese-related commerce in the Upstate, including contracted seminars or short-term educational experiences for business leaders, government officials or civic groups interested in China.

The Confucius Institute at PC is believed to be the only one awarded to a liberal arts college in the United States. South Carolina also joins a small group of states - including Alabama, Georgia, and Michigan - that have more than one college or university awarded a Confucius Institute.

"As the relationship between the United States and China deepens, it is vital that our peoples understand one another and that they are able to communicate well with one another," said PC president Dr. John V. Griffith. "The goal of a Presbyterian College education - to enable our society's future leaders to serve throughout the world - is greatly aided by adding the Confucius Institute to our academic program and expanding this program throughout the state."

Dr. David Liu, PC's new associate professor of political science, has been named as director of the college's Confucius Institute.

"The awarding of the Confucius Institute to PC is not only a blessing for our students, who wish to understand the emergence of China as a new global economic power, but also presents immense commercial, cultural, and educational opportunities for the Upstate community," Liu said. "As a scholar of international relations, I also believe that mutual understanding is an important first step towards a harmonious and enduring relationship and that the Confucius Institute will serve as a bridge in this noble endeavor. I am honored to serve as the director of the Confucius Institute and look forward to presenting our students and the Upstate community with the many opportunities that this relationship will afford us."

Presbyterian College plans to open its Confucius Institute in 2009.