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Outsourced To China Confucius Institutes and Soft Power in American Higher Education RACHELLE PETERSON NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOLARS APRIL 2017 OUTSOURCED TO CHINA Confucius Institutes and Soft Power in American Higher Education A REPORT BY THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOLARS April 2017 Amended June 2017 RACHELLE PETERSON © 2017 National Association of Scholars ISBN: 978-0-9986635-1-7 Cover image: XiXinXing/Shutterstock, edited ABOUT THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOLARS Mission The National Association of Scholars is an independent membership association of academics and others working to sustain the tradition of reasoned scholarship and civil debate in America’s colleges and universities. We uphold the standards of a liberal arts education that fosters intellectual freedom, searches for the truth, and promotes virtuous citizenship. What We Do We publish a quarterly journal, Academic Questions, which examines the intellectual controversies and the institutional challenges of contemporary higher education. We publish studies of current higher education policy and practice with the aim of drawing attention to weaknesses and stimulating improvements. Our website presents a daily stream of educated opinion and commentary on higher education and archives our research reports for public access. NAS engages in public advocacy to pass legislation to advance the cause of higher education reform. We file friend-of-the-court briefs in legal cases, defending freedom of speech and conscience, and the civil rights of educators and students. We give testimony before congressional and legislative committees and engage public support for worthy reforms. NAS holds national and regional meetings that focus on important issues and public policy debates in higher education today. Membership NAS membership is open to all who share a commitment to its core principles of fostering intellectual freedom and academic excellence in American higher education. A large majority of our members are current and former faculty members. We also welcome graduate and undergraduate students, teachers, college administrators, and independent scholars, as well as non-academic citizens who care about the future of higher education. NAS members receive a subscription to our journal Academic Questions and access to a network of people who share a commitment to academic freedom and excellence. We offer opportunities to influence key aspects of contemporary higher education. Visit our website, www.nas.org, to learn more about NAS and to become a member. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The National Association of Scholars is deeply grateful to the Arthur N. Rupe Foundation and the Achelis and Bodman Foundations for providing major support for this project. I am personally grateful to members of the National Association of Scholars staff who read and commented on early drafts of this report: Peter Wood, Ashley Thorne, and David Randall. My thanks also to Kaitlyn Hasegawa, who helped format and proofread the footnotes. CONTENTS Acknowledgements . 2 List of Figures . 7 List of Tables . 8 Executive Summary . 9 Preface . 12 Introduction . 15 The Hanban . 21 Why Confucius? . 23 Confucius Institutes Worldwide . 24 Our Case Studies . 25 Organization . 27 The Board . 29 Staff . 31 Hiring, Wages, and Responsibilities . 32 American Directors . .32 Chinese Directors . 36 Chinese Teachers . 39 Other Staff Members . 43 Hanban’s Selection Process . 44 Length of Contract . .45 . “Tarnishing the Reputation” . 46 Whose Law Applies? . 47 Legal Contractual Obligations . 48 Courts . 48 How Far Does the Arm of Bureaucracy Reach? . 49 Teaching . 52 Courses Offered for Credit . 54. Graduate Work Through the CI . 56 Chinese Instruction Outside the Confucius Institute . 57 Course Fees . 59 Who Are the Students? . 61 Textbooks . 64 Teaching Quality . 67 Funding . 68 The Need . 70 The Draw . 72 Transparency and Accountability . 72 Financial Accountability . 72 Openness to Outsiders . 73 Free-Riding on the University’s Reputation . 76 Academic Freedom . 77 Concerns from the American Association of University Professors . 78 Concerns from the Canadian Association of University Teachers . 79 A Troubling History . 80 The Anaconda in the Chandelier . .82 . Pressured Teachers . 85 Pressured Professors . 86 What Senior Scholars of China Say . 86 What Professors Near the Confucius Institute Say . 88 What Administrators Say . .90 . Closing Confucius Institutes . 92 The University of Chicago . 93 What Not to Say . 95 Tibetan Independence and the Dalai Lama . 95 Tiananmen Square . 98 Taiwan . 100 Falun Gong . 101 Other Entanglements . 102 Confucius Institute Case Studies . 104. Binghamton University . 104 Classes . 106 Textbooks . 107. Other Gifts . 109 Hiring policies . 110. Funding . 111 Intellectual Freedom . 111 Tarnishing the Reputation . 113 Law . 113 Openness . 113 University at Albany . 115 Classes . 115 Textbooks . 115. Hiring policies . 115. Funding . 117 Intellectual Freedom . 118 Tarnishing the Reputation . 119 Law . 119 Other Gifts . 119 Openness . 121 University at Buffalo . 121 Classes . 122 Textbooks . 123. Hiring policies . .124 . Funding . 126 Intellectual Freedom . 127 Tarnishing the Reputation . 128 Law . 128 Other Gifts . 128 Openness . 130 Alfred University . 132 Classes . 132 Openness . 132 Pace University . 133 Classes . 134 Textbooks . 135. Hiring Policies . 136 Funding . 137 Intellectual Freedom . 137 Tarnishing the Reputation . 138 Law . 139 Other Gifts . 139 Openness . 139 Stony Brook University . 140 Classes . 141 Textbooks . 141. Hiring Policies . 142.
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