Community Leader: Joan Brzezinski, Executive Director, The University of Minnesota China Center

Article by Becky Fillinger 

Joan BrzezinskiWould you like to learn more about our Chinese neighbors – locally and globally? Curious about the history of the University of Minnesota and China? Meet Joan Brzezinski, Executive Director of the U’s China Center. You might be surprised that the links go back over a hundred years. The China Center offers programs we may all engage in and learn from – to become better global citizens. 

Q:  What sparked your early interest in studying East Asian History at Hamline University? Did you think as an undergraduate that you could have a career focused on China?

A:  I first found myself drawn to the Chinese language. The beauty of the characters and expression of language and culture through the characters was fascinating. The opportunity to study Chinese at the undergraduate level, particularly in a private college, was rare at the time. I was fortunate to spend a year in an academic exchange with Peking University in 1982, which was a life changing experience for me. Upon returning to Hamline, I decided to change majors and pursue a degree in East Asian History with the intent to work in a field that had some connection with China. I wanted to find a way to bridge the Chinese and U.S. peoples and cultures.

Q:  What Twin Cities universities have connections to China?

A:  The University of Minnesota has the oldest Chinese language program in the Twin Cities. It is also the home of a Chinese language Flagship program, which is a federally-funded partnership between government, education, and business that promotes superior-level fluency in a critical language. The University's program attracts highly qualified undergraduate students from diverse disciplines to achieve superior-level Mandarin Chinese proficiency and promotes their success as global professionals. There are a number of undergraduate Chinese language programs at private and community colleges in the Twin Cities. Additionally, Minnesota has one of the largest number of Mandarin programs at the K12 level in the U.S. There are more than 13 Mandarin immersion programs for K-12 building a pipeline to college level study.

Q:  Please tell us about the China Bridge Challenge. Are the results of the challenge shared with your counterparts in China?

A:  In the absence of study abroad and international student mobility during this pandemic, the China Bridge Challenge competition was developed to help undergraduates connect cross-culturally and collaborate on providing solutions to the important issues faced by China and the U.S. Our college partner was the College of Design led by Professor Juanjuan Wu. The first-ever China Bridge Challenge was held in February and featured six strong proposals addressing shared problems faced by the U.S. and China under the theme of Building Sustainable Cities and Communities. We were delighted by the students' ideas and their excellent presentations. The winning proposal, "Fostering Cross-Cultural Understanding through a Fun Competition: Virtual Diplomacy for the 21st Century," introduced a "CultureScape" challenge which highlighted how people in the U.S. and China are embracing sustainability. We have shared the students’ presentations and the results of the competition with our supporters, which include alumni and friends both here and in China.

Q:  The first Chinese students enrolled at the U of M in 1914. Today, the U of M community includes more than 3,000 students and scholars from Greater China. The China Center now has an office in Beijing. Thousands of alumni live throughout China. Why was the U an early leader in inviting Chinese students to enroll? What are the beneficial outcomes of having a robust China Center in Minneapolis and in Beijing?

A:  The University has always had strong academic programs in areas that were of interest to Chinese students. In the early 20th century, it was agricultural sciences and mining, in the mid-20th century, it was engineering, and in the late 20th and early 21st centuries it is health sciences and business. The University's China Center and our office in Beijing benefit from a vibrant network of Chinese alumni and the University's network of institutional and educational partners that strengthen the faculty research collaborations, student exchange and cultural programs.

Q:  What are the priorities of the China Center for 2021?

A:  The China Center's priorities are to continue to develop meaningful programming for our campus and Minnesota communities. As the pandemic endures, and intolerance, suspicion and hostilities have grown in the U.S.-China relationship, the China Center has strived to offer new programs and opportunities to explore issues and provide a platform for dialogue. We will continue to look for opportunities to connect students and foster greater understanding about China and its peoples and cultures.

Q:  How may we as the general public engage in your programming?

A:  We would be delighted if your readers would join us for our monthly webinars in the "Considering China" series. You can find more information at https://chinacenter.umn.edu/. In the coming year, we will host a "Bob and Kim Griffin Building U.S. China Bridges Lecture," a Chinese New Year celebration, and the next "China Bridge Challenge." More information about these events will be available at a later date at this same website address. One can always join our mailing list and we will send you an invitation. Please look for information on joining here: https://chinacenter.umn.edu/about-us/contact-us. We’re on social media too.