The cultural puzzle facing President Eric Kaler

Meredith McQuaid, associate vice president and dean of International Programs at the University of Minnesota, tells the Minnesota Daily about postsecondary education in China:

“It’s difficult for any non-American to figure out how this country runs higher education. … If a student said she wanted to study in America, it’s daunting for them to figure out how they organize what’s private versus public, what’s a four-year and what’s a research institution. It’s really dense.”

McQuaid was scheduled to join President Eric Kaler Sunday on an 11-day trip to China — Kaler’s first international visit as president. There, the Daily reports, he’s supposed to meet with alumni as well as prospective students and potential donors.

The Daily reports the U opened its first office in Beijing in 2009 so it could recruit students and offer more services to alumni living in that country.

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