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DOCOMEIT RESUME ED 125 402 BE 007 918 TITLE Higher Education in Asia and the United States. A Cross-Cultural Dialogue. INSTITUTION Institute of International Education, New York, N.Y. PUB DATE 72 NOTE 65p.; Papers presented by the Councilon Higher Education for Asia and the United States (Hong Kong, June 1970; Nara, Japan, June 1971) AVAILABLE FROMCouncil on Higher Education for Asia and the United States, Institute of International Education, 809 United Nations Plaza, New York, New York 10017 EMS PRICE MF-$0.83 HC-$3.50 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Administration; Area Studies; *Cross Cultural Studies; *Cultural Exchange; *Foreign Countries; Governance; *Higher Education; Language; Management; *Universities IDENTIFIERS *Asia; *United States ABSTRACT The Institute of International Education's Councilon Higher Education for Asia and the United States is designedto create the conditions necessary for a regular and fruitful exchange of ideas, plans, and action programs between university leadersfrom the United States and from the Asia-Pacific region. Discussionsheld at the Council's planning meeting in Hong Kong in 1970 explored:(1) universities as instruments for the promotion of international understanding; (2) proper mission of a university; (3)governance; (4) usefulness of language and areaprograms;(5) preservation of freedom in the university. The Nara conference held in 1971focused on university management and the problems of cooperation and cultural interchange. Background information for the discussionsare provided by participants in the Nara Conference. Their briefreports cover university structure and objectives and area-language studyprogress. (Autbor/KE) *********************************************************************** Documents acquired by ERIC include any informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makesevery effort * * to obtain the best copy available. Nevertheless, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (RDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality of the original document. Reproductions* * supplied by !DRS are the best that can be made from the original. * *********************************************************************** '-''' Cross-Cultural Dialogue HIGHER EDUCATION IN ASIA AND THE UNITED STATES Cross- Cultural Dialogue Council on Higher Education for Asia and the United States INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION 809United Nations Plaza New York, New York 10017 3 ADVISORY COMMITTEE Rayon Limes Huang, Vice Chairman Nanyang Universiy James M. Hester, Vice Chairman New York University Edwin 0. Reischaner, Consultant Harvard University Kenneth Holland President James F. Tierney Vice President Pearl G. Purcell Conference Director OCopyright, 1972 International Councils on Highly Education, Now York, N.Y. PRINTED IN U.S.A. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Introduction 5 Part I Summary of Hong Kong Discussions 7 Part II Summary of Nara Discussions 12 Appendix 21 INTRODUCTION The United States has long recognizeda basic national interest in Asia, an interest expressed most consistentlyas a commitment to the welfare and progress of the peoples of thatarea. However, it must be emphasized that United States relations with the countriesof Asia have for many years been less than satisfactory. Some ofour policies have met with only limited success. others have been outrightfailures. The frustration and bitter controversy over these policieshave produced deep divisions in the American public. If there is indeeda root cause of our problem, it probably lies in the widespread ignorance in thiscountry of Asia and its problems, and a dangerously superficialawareness of what is really happening in that part of the world. The crucial importance of rnited Statesrelations with the Asia-Pacific region needs no emphasis. What is needed,however, is a concerted effort to deepen our understanding of the region.One way to do this is to build new bridges and develop new contacts withAsian leaders at the highest levels and particularly with the educationaland intellectual community whose metbers are destined to playa major role in future developments in the region. In an effort to meet this special need, theInstitute of International Education has established a Councilon Higher Education for Asia and the United States, the most recent ina series of similar Councils organized by the HE for the principal regionsof the world. The Asian-U. S. Council is designed to create the conditionsnecessary for a regular and fruitful exchange of ideas, plans and actionprograms between university leaders from the United States and from theAsia-Pacific region. To encourage frank, open and informal dialogueamong participants, Council discus- sions are completely off the record.Selection of participants is based largely on personal qualilications;no one is expected to represent his or her institution or country inany formai or official way. The emphasis is on a free exchange of views among knowledgeable andinfluential edo- eatimal leaders in a s 'tting which permitsthe development of personal friendships as well as professionalcontacts. It is the conviction of the IIE that thefuture development of the Asian countries will to a great extet reflect thethinking and action of the intellectual leadership in Asianliniversitiesand that every effort should be made to bring this leadership elementinto close and regular contact with its counterpart in the United States.It is fortunate indeed that this conviction is shared by the officers and directorsof the Henry Luce Foun- dation, Inc. of New York. Luce Foundationgrants have made possible both the planning and the operation of theCouncil's program. The Luce family's commitment to service in the Far Easthas been deep and long 5 6 standing. In 1936, Henry R. Luce, who was himself born inChina, estab- lished the Foundation as a tribute to his father, the Reverend Dr.Henry W. Luce, who had devoted much of his adult life to missionary and educa- tional activities in the area. The Foundation's programs reflect this Asian background. Among other goals, the Foundation seeks to encourage "inter- national understanding between East and West. The specific objective is not to produce Asian specialists. Rather, it is todevelop a group of active citizen leaders from a wide range of fields who have an awareness and an understanding of Asia that is all too rarein this country today". The IIE wishes to express its profound gratitude to the Foundation for its support of the Council's activities which are designed to help realize this objective. The report that follows provides a summary of the discussions held at the Council's planning meeting in Hong Kong in 1970 and the first full meeting in .Japan in 1971. The IIE has issued this report to acquaint interested individuals and institutions with the rationale and activities of the Council. James F. Tierney New York, New York 1972 6 PARTI The Hong Kong Muting, June 21-26, 1970 This was a planning meeting to explore areas ofcommon concern to the participating educational leaders from the United States andten Asian nations (see attached list). The discussions were organized aroundan agenda which focused on five principal areas of mutual concern. Although therewas a good deal of flexibility in the handling of the discussions, the agenda provedto be a useful mechanism for eliciting confluenton specific problems and topics. A. Are universities effective instruments for the promotion of inter- national understanding? Several points were made in the course of the discussionon this topic. It was felt that the effectiveness of universities could be judged only in rela- tion to their particular position in society and that withinAsia there is great diversity in both levels and systems of higher education. Insome Asian countries the universities have been modeledon Western experience and hi fact are under the direction of 'Western-trainedspecialists. This raised the question as to whether the universities inthese eases are not alien institutions out of step with the movement of society.Universities throughout the region are increasingly subject to political directionand particularly in the under-developed countries lire often expectedto serve the immediate goals set by the political leadership in thecountry. It was noted that the various exchange ofpersons programs have not been uniformly successful in promoting international understandingand in fact some of them have intensified the problem ofthe so-called "brain drain." The most successful and imaginative exchangeprograms are those under the direction of professionally trained staffwho select parti- cipants on the basis of a carefully designed set ofobjectives. The Junior Year Abroad programs, although far fromperfect in either design or execution, are of great value in bridgingcultural differences. They open windows on the world foryoung students, and expose them to alien eultures at an impressionableage. These programs should be ex- panded to cover the nations of the Asia-Pacific region. The partieipants were reminded that international understandingis a desirable goal for any university but that in itselfinternational under- standing does not automatically result in peace and goodwill.The uni- versity should seek to develop programs whichexpose large numbers of students to the cultures and histories of other peoplesin such a way that students