Pradeep Khanna
With hundreds of Chinese students enrolling annually at the U. of I. and thousands of Illini alumni already living and working in China, there’s little doubt the university has a strong presence there.
That presence will become more tangible in the coming months as the university prepares to open its first office in China by the end of the year.
Set in a corporate center in the heart of Shanghai, the office is part of a state of Illinois China office, which is managed by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. The office is expected to solidify and expand the university’s relationships in China.
“The main goal we have is to promote higher education,” said Pradeep Khanna, the associate chancellor for corporate and international relations in the Office of Public Engagement at the U. of I. “China is a big source of students for us and it’s important to be fully engaged with them. This office will help us better serve our stakeholders in China.”
In addition to providing some support to students, U. of I. leaders foresee the office as a central point in forging new relationships with Chinese academic and business leaders, Khanna said.
Sarah Zehr
An inauguration ceremony for the office will take place Dec. 9 in China, though the office won’t become fully operational until it is fully staffed.
“We’re working on hiring people now and hope to have everything ready to go by the end of the year,” said Sarah Zehr, the director of operations for the Office of Public Engagement, who will oversee the new office in China.
Zehr, who will be based in Urbana, will serve as the main campus contact for the new office, which will be staffed by an assistant director and two program specialists.
She said the goals for the new office include bringing together recent U. of I. graduates and corporate human resources officials to promote employment opportunities; forging academic partnerships with Chinese universities; sharing economic development opportunities in East Central Illinois; and increasing communication for U. of I. alumni living in China.
“We want to reach out in several directions,” Zehr said. “We’d like to enhance the relationships we already have and build new ones along the way. Having an office there is an important first step in improving communication.”
“It will allow us to work more closely with alumni and to make academic and business contacts that may lead to new collaborations,” Khanna said. “We are very excited about the opportunities this office will bring to the university and the state of Illinois.”
The office will be in the Shanghai Centre, a corporate complex. Staffing costs will be shared, using some campus funds as well as investments by the College of Business, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.
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