NAFSA provides an overview of international education in American colleges and university. (Washington, D.C.)

ISEP staff and delegation members continue discussing international student exchange programs during a coffee break. (Washington, D.C.)

Mr. Ma Chao (Beijing Language and Culture University) with students in a Chinese immersion class. (Detroit, MI)

Beginning in 1981, the National Committee has administered a program on behalf of the United States Department of Education to bring delegations of education officials and administrators from across China to the United States. Twice each year, participants have the opportunity to observe the challenges facing the American education system and how institutions across the country are dealing with them. Funded by the Department of Education and the Chinese Ministry of Education, these trips, along with the reciprocal visits of American educators to China under the auspices of the Fulbright-Hays Seminars Abroad, strengthen educational ties between our two countries and build a mutual understanding of how we teach future generations.

in 2011, the Chinese delegation is focusing on international student services at American colleges and universities as well as study abroad programs for American students wishing to study overseas. The delegation will receive briefings on the historical, social, and economic background of education in the United States; discuss the roles of schools and other organizations involved in foreign student support; and make site visits to relevant institutions, including governmental and non-governmental agencies, public and private colleges, universities, and K-12 schools, and other places of interest. The program will take them to Washington, D.C.; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; Detroit and Lansing, Michigan; and San Francisco, California.

Delegation members represent provincial education bureaus and universities around China.

In 2009 and 2010, the Chinese delegations focused on career counseling for university students; the spring 2010 delegation examined secondary school science education. Below is a list of the cities these delegations have visited.

Spring 2009: Washington, D.C.; Pittsburgh, PA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Francisco, CA
Fall 2009: Washington, D.C.; Dayton, OH; Dallas, TX; San Francisco, CA
Spring 2010: San Francisco, CA; Brookings and Sioux Falls, SD; Washington, D.C.
Fall 2010: Washington, D.C.; Milwaukee, WI; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA

In 2009 and 2010, delegation members represented central and municipal education offices and universities around China. Primarily, they were interested in exploring the frameworks in place in the United States to aid college graduates in their search for employment, an increasingly pressing issue in China as millions of college students graduate and enter the workforce each year.

The delegations visited federal, state, and local governmental agencies as well as non-governmental organizations involved in policy formation. They were afforded an up-close look at career counseling through site visits to an array of academic institutions including community, state, and private colleges and universities. They also learned about the recruiting process by talking to private companies about their initiatives to support young graduates.