100,000 STRONG FOUNDATION PARTNERS WITH CIEE TO ENCOURAGE STUDY ABROAD IN CHINA

CIEE is excited to announce its partnership with the national 100,000 Strong Foundation to help increase the number and diversity of Americans studying in China.

The foundation is an offshoot of President Obama’s “100,000 Strong Initiative” started in 2009 to get 100,000 Americans to study in China by the end of this year. The U.S. Department of State already has achieved that goal, and the movement continues at the center of efforts to deepen connections between the United States and China. The 100,000 Strong Foundation is an independent bipartisan nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.

As a leader in study abroad in China for 35 years, CIEE is ideally positioned to help the foundation further its mission. With partner universities in Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Taipei, and Hong Kong, CIEE offers study abroad and exchange programs to U.S. high school and college students, and enrichment seminars to U.S. faculty and administrators.

“Our broad portfolio of programs and partners allows us to serve nearly 600 participants each year, giving them skills and knowledge of Chinese language and culture that opens new perspectives and helps shape career options and choices,” said James P. Pellow, Ed.D., CIEE’s president and CEO. “We’re proud to have been selected by the 100,000 Strong Foundation and look forward to many new initiatives designed to support our mutual goals to create new opportunities for students to advance their Mandarin language skills and gain rich cultural experiences in China.”

Specific partnership initiatives include:

• Selecting and supporting 10 students each year to serve as 100,000 Strong Student Ambassadors
• Cross-promoting activities that highlight China as a study-abroad destination
• Increasing the number and diversity of Americans learning Mandarin and studying in China  

“CIEE strives to support programs that have real impact,” Pellow said. “Our partnership with the 100,000 Strong Foundation will provide American students and faculty with concrete opportunities to know China better, to know the Chinese people better, and to understand the Chinese culture better. It complements similar CIEE initiatives in Brazil, Russia, and India, and will help young Americans become more successful global leaders in the decades ahead.”