Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

Office in China expected to foster new, existing relationships

Pradeep Khanna

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

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.

Read Next

Life sciences Portrait of the research team posing together.

Minecraft players can now explore whole cells and their contents

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Scientists have translated nanoscale experimental and computational data into precise 3D representations of bacteria, yeast and human epithelial, breast and breast cancer cells in Minecraft, a video game that allows players to explore, build and manipulate structures in three dimensions. The innovation will allow researchers and students of all ages to navigate […]

Arts Photo of seven dancers onstage wearing blue tops and orange or yellow flowing skirts. The backdrop is a Persian design.

February Dance includes works experimenting with live music, technology and a ‘sneaker ballet’

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The dance department at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will present February Dance 2025: Fast Forward this week at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. February Dance will be one of the first performances in the newly renovated Colwell Playhouse Theatre since its reopening. The performances are Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Dance professor […]

Honors portraits of four Illinois researchers

Four Illinois researchers receive Presidential Early Career Award

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Four researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on young professionals at the outset of their independent research careers. The winners this year are health and kinesiology professor Marni Boppart, physics professor Barry Bradlyn, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor Ying […]

Strategic Communications and Marketing News Bureau

507 E. Green St
MC-426
Champaign, IL 61820

Email: stratcom@illinois.edu

Phone (217) 333-5010