"Chinese students here have no weak points"

An Exclusive Interview with Penn President Amy Gutmann (Part Three)

Yong Tang: Some Chinese people say the best destination is America if you want to study abroad. Do you think so?

Amy: I think so. The best universities in the United States are among the best universities in the world. Now there are other countries having great universities too. But when you look at the sector of higher education as a whole, I think it is well agreed upon that the United States has the strongest sector of higher education in the world.

Yong Tang: How many Chinese students does Penn have today?

Amy: We currently have 38 undergraduate students and 470 graduate students from China. There are also 410 Chinese scholars at Penn.

For the Class of 2010 we have received 153 undergraduate applications to date from Mainland China, an increase of 13% over last year. From Hong Kong our increase is even greater. We have 128 applications to date, an increase of 29%. Penn has an especially strong and active alumni presence in Hong Kong which helps spread the good word about Penn. We receive applications from all over the mainland but with larger numbers from Beijing and Shanghai, especially from the schools affiliated with the leading Chinese universities.

Yong Tang: Do you have any special requirements for Chinese applicants who wish to study at Penn?

Amy: No! The admissions requirements are the same for all students, regardless of what country they are from. Penn has the largest percentage of international undergraduates in the Ivy League.

The biggest hurdle for foreign students is language frankly. Everybody should have proficiency in the language because we teach everything in English.

Yong Tang: What qualities should an outstanding college student have? Do you think Chinese students here have such qualities?

Amy: As a major research and teaching institution with an emphasis on undergraduate education, Penn seeks students who will avail themselves of the rich academic, cultural and social opportunities of the academic community. As an institution, Penn prides itself on its enormous diversity-not only in the great wealth of our undergraduate and graduate programs, but in the wide variety of students and talents that such programs attract. The student who flourishes in the Penn community possesses a history of strong academic excellence, a healthy degree of motivation, and a well-developed interest and involvement in his or her environment.

Yong Tang: What is the difference between Chinese students here and American students and students from other countries?

Amy: Chinese students add something to the cosmopolitan nature of our campus that American students can't add. They add their experiences that are rare here. Our Chinese students are incredibly hardworking, very creative. Like other students, they are the best and brightest in the world.

Yong Tang: Frankly speaking how about their weak points?

Amy: I will be frank. The students we admit from China have no weak points.

Yong Tang: No weak points? Perfect?

Amy: It is so hard to get admitted to Penn. I would never call anybody perfect. But they are just fantastic. They love to be here and they thrive here. American students love having them here because they learn something about China by having Chinese students. Otherwise they would have to travel all the way to China to learn that.

Yong Tang: Penn has a longstanding relationship with China. Some extremely famous Chinese architects studied at Penn. One is Liang Sicheng who studied at Penn from 1924 to 1927 and received his bachelor and master degrees. One is his wife Lin Huiyin who graduated from Penn School of Arts in 1927. Another two are Yang Tingbao and Ieoh Ming Pei. I know IM Pei transferred to MIT finally. Can you tell me some interesting stories about them?

Amy: Sorry I don't have any personal stories to give you. But I can tell you we are very very proud of them.

Yong Tang: Many universities here have cooperation programs with Chinese counterparts. Can your tell me how many collaborative programs Penn has in China? What are the major ones?

Amy: First the new one is an exchange agreement with Fudan University for undergraduate students. We anticipate our first undergraduate exchange student from Fudan to come to Penn campus in the fall of 2006.

A Law School in Beijing has an agreement with our Penn law school in which our students spend a semester in a pioneer program in Beijing. It is the first formal program to make our international students study Chinese law in China through English language courses. Later after they completed their JD degrees at Penn, the participants have an option of earning a relevant degree in Beijing.

One of our most distinguished faculty members was involved in the establishment of the Institute of Organic Material in China 5 years ago. I am looking forward to visiting China in March. I am sure that when I meet university people there, we could possibly have new joint venture and other collaborations.

Yong Tang: After graduation many Chinese students choose to stay in the United States rather than to go back to China. It is a kind of brain drain for China. How do you think of this problem?

Amy: There was definitely an issue of brain drain in the past. But now there are more and more Chinese students going back home and even American students are recruited By Chinese companies. The same is true with India. We are very happy about that. If they want to stay here, let them stay here. If they want to go back, let them go back. The brain drain you are talking about is the past, not the future. It was an old story. The new story is making.

Yong Tang: Some Chinese universities are trying to catch up with their western counterparts in order to get world-class status. What is the major difference between American model and European model in higher education? Which model China should learn more?

Amy: The biggest difference of American university is that American university has a mixed private and public higher education system. We have great public universities and great private universities. They compete for the best and brightest faculty and students. Competition leads to innovation and excellence. That model is distinctively American model of higher education. And that works, although it is not perfect. The European model is exclusively more public where virtually everything is government funded and government based.

By Yong Tang, Washington-based correspondent of People's Daily Online