06/30/2006

Associated Press

The University of Washington has turned down an invitation from China to open a branch campus there, but former Gov. Gary Locke says the idea has merit and should be considered for the future.

After six months of examining the financial and administrative viability of the proposal, the university told Chinese officials they wouldn't pursue the idea, despite lobbying by Chinese officials, an offer of land and a $100 million loan to build the campus.

The proposed 10,000-student campus was to be located in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu Province, north of Shanghai.

"It would take an enormous amount of time and energy to launch something like that, and we've got plenty of needs in Seattle and in the state of Washington," said UW President Mark Emmert.

The university's Asian studies program as well as its faculty and student exchanges with China invited Chinese interest, as did Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to Seattle in April. But Susan Jeffords, the university's vice provost for global affairs, said the financial and logistical challenges were too great.

"There were all sorts of legal and policy and financial issues," Jeffords said. "We have two still relatively new campuses — in Tacoma and Bothell — in the state of Washington that are growing, and we want to make sure that they are successful."

Jeffords said the Chinese delegation is exploring the proposal with other American universities.

The news that the university passed on the offer disappointed some who had supported the proposals during months of discussion.

"Based on what I know, it's too early to shelve this idea," said Craig Gannett, chairman of the 14-member Visiting Committee that advises the UW's Jackson School for International Studies. "This idea has great potential for the university and the state, and I'm surprised and disappointed that the university has reached a conclusion based on preliminary discussions with the Chinese."

Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke — who built ties with China while governor and is a member of the committee — said a branch campus in China would benefit Washington.

"I hope that someday soon the university can establish a campus in China," Locke said. "It would be enormously beneficial to UW students and faculty."

Anand Yang, director of UW's Jackson School, said he would like to see a more tangible UW presence in China.

"There needs to be more sustained interaction with other parts of the world, more than just two or three months' study abroad," Yang said. "Imagine a campus where every day there are local students in China going to classes with local students from the state of Washington, and this is not just about learning Chinese but about studying engineering, or business, or looking at environmental studies and doing it all in a different environment."

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Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com