British Universities Should Be More Cautious in Collaborating With China, Paper Says.
The Chronicle of Higher Education,
Paul Mooney, 7 December 2007
A discussion paper published this week by a British think tank raises serious questions about the strategies of British universities rushing to expand programs in China, arguing that there are risks as well as opportunities in the China market.
University leaders arrive in Beijing and Shanghai every week seeking to set up cooperative arrangements, "yet there is no overarching strategy about what U.K. higher education should be trying to achieve in China in the long term - or what form these partnerships should take," states the report, "British Universities in China: The Reality Beyond the Rhetoric," published this month by Agora, a British organization focused on higher education.
The paper, which includes commentaries from internationally involved academics and presents several case studies, also expresses some strongly worded views about China's motives in seeking cooperation with foreign universities, asserting that the country intends to make gains in science and technology by absorbing British talent and intellectual property. The warnings, including that one issued by the former provost of a British campus in China, could apply to American universities as well.
In the paper's introduction, Anna Fazackerley, Agora's director and a former journalist, writes that "it would be foolish not to see the emerging power of China as an opportunity - but it is also a serious threat that must be stared squarely in the face." That threat, she explains, centers around China's massive expansion of its higher-education system, which has grown rapidly both in terms of student enrollment and the amount of money the government is pouring into universities.
As Ms. Fazackerley notes, a good portion of that investment is going toward a few dozen institutions where the focus is primarily on advanced scientific disciplines. In recent years, China has welcomed in foreign universities to start up academic programs, in conjunction with Chinese partners, for Chinese students.
"It is becoming apparent that one of the main uses of British universities to China will be their expertise in science and engineering," she writes, noting that the University of Nottingham's China campus began as a liberal-arts college in 2004 but is now shifting toward the sciences.
She acknowledges that scientific research is a global pursuit, but asks if Britain should not be more protective of its scientific knowledge and intellectual property in venturing into China. "Are we handing over our strengths too readily?" she asks.
Ian Gow, an expert on Asia and former provost of the University of Nottingham at Ningbo, China, expresses similar skepticism toward dealing with that nation. British universities "must stop pussyfooting around this aggressively ambitious country," he writes.
"Make no mistake: China wants to be the leading power in higher education, and it will extract what it can from the U.K.," writes Mr. Gow, who now heads the business school at the University of the West of England.
Mr. Gow also describes the challenges of working in China, including finding high-quality staff members, the lack of "enabling regulatory frameworks" for joint ventures with foreign institutions, and partners that are constantly changing their terms.
"Vice chancellors must be very careful not to get sucked in too quickly to agreements," he writes. "Often when confronted with the next stage, they will find the agreement has apparently changed - partners are very adept at changing direction because 'Beijing said no.' "
"The institutions currently negotiating entry will gain it on Chinese terms," he adds. "with the Chinese very much in control."
Another contributor to the paper, David Pilsbury, chief executive of the Worldwide Universities Network, a partnership of 16 research-led universities from Europe, North America, Southeast Asia and Australia, says that Mr. Gow's comments have stimulated much comment in Britain. In his contribution to the paper, on the subject of "building relationships," Mr. Pilsbury cautions that "engaging in another country simply to generate revenue has turned out to be an ineffective and financially unsustainable model."
Other contributors offer advice on navigating the Chinese legal system, managing an overseas campus, bridging cultural chasms, and understanding student needs.