The US–China Education Trust (USCET, ) is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. Founded in 1998 by Ambassador Julia Chang Bloch, the first Chinese-American U.S. Ambassador, USCET seeks to promote China–United States relations through a series of education and exchange programs. The organization sponsors a variety of fellowships, conferences, workshops and exchanges, focused primarily on strengthening Chinese academic institutions related to the fields of American Studies, Media and Journalism, American Governance, and International Relations.
The organization's expressed mission is "to promote US–China relations through education and exchange for next-generation leaders."
Programs
USCET's activities currently fall within eight main program areas:
The American Studies Network
Conceived to strengthen American Studies programs in China, this consortium of academic institutions, now numbering more than 50, provides opportunities for members to collaborate, share resources, and develop their capacity to teach about American society and culture. One of the primary goals of the ASN is to promote a more comprehensive understanding of the United States in China by sponsoring academic research in fields that go beyond politics and US–China relations, which tend to dominate Chinese research about America. As such, the ASN encourages scholarly collaboration and research on topics such as American culture and religion. ASN activities include an annual conference for all member universities; an American Studies Fellows program which places young Chinese scholars at American universities for a mentored semester-long fellowship; and delegations of American Studies scholars from China to the annual meeting of the American Studies Association in the United States.
Media Education Consortium
Similar to the ASN, the Media Education Consortium (MEC) is a network of schools of journalism and communication at over 30 Chinese universities. Through annual conferences and short-term workshops, USCET seeks to use the MEC to expand the capacity of Chinese universities to train professionally skilled journalists and broadcasters. MEC programs work to build practical investigative and reporting skills for Chinese journalism students, and to strengthen the role of professionalism and media ethics within Chinese media and communication curricula.
American Governance
USCET's earliest initiative in China, the Congressional Practicum, has expanded to include elections seminars, training sessions, and annual lectures that build knowledge among Chinese professionals, officials, and students about the workings of the US legislative and political process. Past programs have included case studies, hands-on training, and interactive exchanges among US and Chinese experts.
USCET Student Leaders Exchange
This program was the first in the United States to be launched under President Barack Obama's "100,000 Strong" Initiative to increase the number of American students studying in China. The program provides grants to American universities to encourage students to study abroad in China. Universities will use the funds to award travel grants to students enrolled in summer, semester, and academic year study abroad programs. Current partner universities include Boston University, San Francisco State University, the University of Arkansas, and the University of North Alabama.
Summer Institutes
Summer Institutes are short term academic sessions for Asian students and scholars in the United States. The 2010 Summer Institute, entitled "U.S. Foreign Policy for East Asian Student Leaders," brought 20 undergraduate students from China, Korea, and Japan to Washington, DC for a four-week academic program about American politics and society. The 2010 Institute combined classroom discussions, guest lectures, field trips, and a study tour.
Greenberg/Starr Scholarships
Named in honor of American businessman and philanthropist Maurice Greenberg, this program supports the studies of 10 Chinese students from low-income families each year, covering the cost of their full tuition at Yunnan University.
USCET-TFAS Fellowships
USCET sponsors the participation of several Chinese university students at summer institutes organized each year by The Fund for American Studies (TFAS) at Georgetown University. Summer institutes cover a variety of topics including political journalism, philanthropy and voluntary service, business and government affairs, and comparative political and economic systems.