SHNU Confucius Institute at the University of Missouri Inaugurated

SHNU: The SHNU Confucius Institute at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) was officially inaugurated on the afternoon of April 8, U.S. local time.

SHNU President Li Jin and Vice President Lu Jianfei attended the ceremony. Also present were Bob Holden, former governor of the State of Missouri, Doctor Brady Deaton, President of University of Missouri, and relevant people from the local financial, business, and educational fields. Xu Lin, Hanban Director and Director-General of the Confucius Institute Headquarters sent a congratulatory telegram to the ceremony.

President Li Jin and President Brady Deaton unveiled the plaque to open the institute. On behalf of SHNU, Li presented a bronze statue of Confucius and some works of Chinese calligraphy and painting to CI.

Following a grand breakfast meeting attended by many important figures on the very morning of the day, a concert was jointly staged by members from both Folk Music Orchestra of College of Music of SHNU and that of UM. The melody of the music and the superb professional skills of Chinese performers intoxicated everyone present.

The University of Missouri (Mizzou, MU, University of Missouri–Columbia or simply Missouri) is a public research university located in the state of Missouri. In 1839 the university was founded in Columbia, Missouri, as the first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River. Mizzou has a diverse enrollment of 30,200 students, including over 600 students from China. The University of Missouri ranked 94th in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report among the national universities, the highest ranked public school in the state. Edgar Snow, the American journalist that Chinese people are familiar with, graduated from Mizzou.

Up to now, three CIs of SHNU have been set up overseas. The CI at Mizzou is the 323rd CI in the world and the 83rd in America. It also marks the successful layout of SHNU Confucius Institutes at Fukuyama University in Asia, University of Botswana in Africa, and University of Missouri in America.

In order to promote the development of CI at Mizzou and strenghthen cooperation between the two universities, SHNU will start the selective work for Chinese Dean and teachers to work in CI in the near future.

(Translated by Deng Yingjie)