Ladder for the Elites -- U.S. Education Examination (Xue Yong's Notes on American Politics)

Author: Xue Yong
Publisher:
Publish Date: Not available
Features: Stories like the American universities in globalization are no longer novel. A gathering of Tsinghua University graduates from the Class of 1989 in the U.S., for instance, found that most of their peers had settled in the U.S., while those who remained in China were a rare exception. This phenomenon is not limited to Tsinghua. Peking University, University of Science and Technology of China, Fudan University, and other top Chinese universities have numerous classes where alumni gatherings in the U.S. are more convenient than in China. This reflects an undeniable fact: higher education is globalizing, and U.S. universities are at the forefront of this trend, with China being a significant part of the following flock.
Here are a few simple facts:
- The U.S. attracts the most international students.
- International students add $13 billion to the U.S. GDP annually.
- In the 2002–2003 academic year, nearly 600,000 international students were studying in the U.S.
- China is the world’s largest exporter of international students, accounting for 10% of the global total, far surpassing India (4%). It is said that in some departments at Peking University, one-third of the professors hold U.S. doctorates.
After 9/11, the U.S. implemented new visa policies, creating an atmosphere of paranoia that led to a sharp decline in the number of students (especially Chinese students) studying in the U.S. In the 2003–2004 academic year, the number of international students in the U.S. dropped by 2.4%, applications to graduate programs fell by 28%, and actual enrollment decreased by 6%. This was the first decline in over 30 years (since 1971–1972). However, this situation has awakened awareness among U.S. educators, businesses, and policymakers. Visa systems are currently undergoing major reforms. According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a leading U.S. higher education magazine, the federal government is coordinating with states and universities to develop a national strategy to attract international students. This includes not only reforming visa policies and regulations but also considering relaxations on work restrictions for international students off-campus, making it easier for them to survive in the U.S.
It is foreseeable that the influence of U.S. universities on China will grow in the future. More Chinese students will have opportunities to study in the U.S. When discussing Chinese higher education, it is impossible to ignore the role of U.S. higher education. In the process of globalization, U.S. higher education is part of Chinese higher education because many Chinese students earn degrees from U.S. universities, and many U.S. doctors secure teaching positions in Chinese universities. At the same time, Chinese higher education is also part of U.S. higher education because many U.S. degrees include early-stage training from Chinese institutions, and many graduates from Chinese universities teach in the U.S.
Especially in the coming decades, studying abroad will become less a privilege for the elite and more accessible, and the interaction between U.S. and Chinese higher education will intensify. Understanding U.S. universities in the context of globalization has become a compulsory course for Chinese higher education professionals and students. Without a doubt, in the coming decades, U.S. universities will dominate the world of higher education in the globalized era. This dominance is based on two interconnected factors: the excellence of U.S. universities and the flexibility of their higher education system.
The excellence of U.S. universities lies not only in the fundamental facts I have repeatedly emphasized: U.S. universities occupy most of the world’s top institutions, produce the majority of global academic research, provide high-quality education, and possess unparalleled financial strength, and so on. Their excellence also stems from their irreplaceability—no other universities in the world can compete with them. Outside the U.S., the most powerful universities are in Europe. European universities were once models for U.S. institutions. But what about them now? Taking Humboldt University of Berlin as an example: Between 1900 and 1909, the university produced 8 Nobel laureates; between 1910 and 1919, 6; between 1920 and 1929, 4; between 1930 and 1939, 6; between 1940 and 1949, 1; and between 1950 and 1956, 4. Monnet, Planck, Einstein, and Heisenberg were all once brilliant alumni of this institution. However, after 1956, no Nobel laureates emerged from this university. Today, in Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s 2004 global university ranking, it is ranked 95th, tied with the University of Utah.
Of course, such a dramatic decline is partly due to the persecution of Jewish scholars during Hitler’s era and the university’s subjugation under East Germany during the Cold War. However, even today, almost no German university can be ranked among the world’s top tier. Across Europe, only Oxford and Cambridge in the U.K. can be compared to U.S. elite universities. But even these two are facing deficits and crises.
In contrast, taking the University of Chicago as an example: Since the establishment of the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1969, 9 of the 55 laureates have taught at the University of Chicago, and 14 have received training there or taught there. And the U.S. has many such heavyweight universities.
As the saying goes, "People flow toward the heights, and water flows toward the lowlands." In such a stark power imbalance, U.S. universities naturally dominate.
The globalization of higher education has two levels:
1. Large-scale talent mobility: Students and professors migrate across borders, settling where conditions are best.
2. Courses and campuses crossing borders: Some universities leverage their brand to establish campuses worldwide, turning higher education into a global chain.