April 7, 2015
Kansas State University Confucius Institute grand opening begins at 11 am
A grand opening ceremony and activities highlighting Chinese culture will mark the official start of the Kansas State University Confucius Institute today, April 7.
The celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the K-State Alumni Center.
The schedule is as follows:
• 11 a.m. — Remarks from Steven Wade, an executive with Boeing. He will discuss how Boeing gained a greater understanding of the Chinese culture in order to establish long-standing business ties.
• 11:45 a.m. — "Understanding Through Global Vision and Local Relevance," a lunch with Jeff Wang, director of education and China learning initiatives, Asia Society.
• 1:30-2:30 p.m. — Formal Confucius Institute opening ceremony. The ceremony includes the unveiling of official plaques and remarks by Kirk Schulz, university president; April Mason, provost and senior vice president; Marcelo Sabates, associate vice provost for international programs; Max Lu, interim director of the Kansas State University Confucius Institute; and others.
• 2:30-3:30 p.m. — A panel discussion on "The Role of Confucius Institutes in the U.S." with Joan Brzezinski, director, University of Minnesota Confucius Institute; Deborah Trott Pierce, director, Webster University Confucius Institute; and Sheree Willis, director, University of Kansas Confucius Institute.
• 3:45-5 p.m. — The scholarly presentation "Confucius: The Man, His Ideas and their Enduring Significance" by David Graff, K-State professor of history. Graff has written and co-edited several books and journals on Chinese military history.
• 7 p.m. — The Chinese cultural performance and talent show "The Sound and Color of China — A Cultural Celebration." It will include Chinese folk and pop songs as well as Chinese folk dances.
The Office of International Programs has collaborated across campus for the K-State Confucius Institute grand activities and thanks the following:
• Kansas State University Office of the President
• Office of the Provost and Senior Vice President
• Department of Geography
• Department of Modern Languages
• School of Music, Theatre, and Dance
• Division of Communications and Marketing
• KSU Foundation
• K-State Alumni Center
• Department of Animal Sciences and Industry
• Barb DeSanto, assistant professor of journalism and mass communications, and students in her MC 280 class
• K-State Libraries for creating the Chinese Culture Display at the Dow Center for Multicultural and Community Studies in Hale Library
• Irina Sheshukova, instructor of horticulture, forestry and recreation resources, and students, for creating today's floral centerpieces and arrangements
• Yuanwen Lin, senior in fine arts, China, for the donation of her Chinese themed sculptures to the Confucius Institute
• Members of the Chinese Student Association for their time and talents in the grand opening cultural performance
• Gerry Craig, professor of art and associate dean of the Graduate School, for the sculpture exhibit assistance
• Alexis Pultz, graphic artist, for countless hours in creating materials for today's events
• Our staff and student volunteers
The Confucius Institute at Kansas State University will be the 102nd in the U.S. and the second Confucius Institute in Kansas.