Established in 1986, The Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies was the creation of then-Johns Hopkins University President Steven Muller and then-Nanjing University President Kuang Yaming. Both men recognized the importance of mutual understanding to improved relations between China and the West, and agreed that the best way to achieve such understanding was to bring people together for an extended period of intense exposure to each other's history, culture, contemporary thought and society. Such development and training of leaders in Sino-Western relations for the next century would certainly contribute to stable international relations in its broadest sense. Together, these men conceived of a place where young, mid-career professionals from China and the West, in a range of fields including academia, law, journalism, government and business, would live and study together for one year. This experience at the Center would provide an important opportunity to deepen their understanding of the opposite culture and enrich their academic background in topics related to international relations. The ultimate vision was that one day, the U.S. Secretary of State and the Chinese Foreign Minister will find that they are both graduates of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center for Chinese and American Studies. An enduring goal of the Center is to foster an environment where advanced academic study is enriched and expanded through daily social and intellectual exchanges among Chinese and international students and faculty over an extended period of time. This approach develops individuals on both sides whose understanding and appreciation of the other’s aspirations and motivations, whether in politics, in business or in society at large, are unrivaled. The surpassing value of such individuals in the development of the global community of the 21st century is clear. As Sino-international relations has become an increasingly prominent relationship, the expanded campus is a sign of the times. In 2006, the Hopkins-Nanjing Center completed a $21 million campus expansion that added state-of-the-art conference facilities, classrooms and a two-story library which houses the uncensored library collection. The completion of the new building coincided with the introduction of a two-year Master of Arts in International Studies to complement the existing certificate program. The Hopkins-Nanjing Center is the only joint academic program authorized to offer a master’s degree fully accredited in China and in the United States. Today, under the leadership of Johns Hopkins University and Nanjing University Presidents Ronald J. Daniels and Chen Jun, the vision remains strong. More than 1,800 Center graduates are working in diplomacy, business, academia, journalism, government, finance and nonprofit organizations in China, the United States and other countries. Presidents Muller and Kuang clearly saw how increasing the numbers of intelligent and aware professionals carrying out the specific business of China's global integration would have a profound effect on larger political relations.
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