CONWAY- During the weekend of September 26th, the University of Central Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas – Confucius Institute will be celebrating Confucius Institute Day with events open to the campus and community. Specifically on September 26th, UCA is pleased to announce that Dr. Tong Shijun, the Chancellor of UCA’s partner school, East China Normal University, will participate in the Clinton School of Public Service Public Lecture Series.
Chancellor Tong’s lecture is entitled “The Idea of Multiple Democracies” and will address the current political, economic and cultural development of China and its worldwide effects. There will be an opening reception from 5:00-6:00 in the Clinton Presidential Center lobby with the lecture to follow in Sturgis Hall of the Clinton School of Public Service. The event is free and open to the public. Those interested in attending are asked to RSVP to international@uca.edu by September 22nd.
Prof. Shijun Tong is the Chancellor of East China Normal University (ECNU) in Shanghai. He is also a member of the Social Science Committee of the National Ministry of Education of China, Vice Chairman of Shanghai Federation of Social Sciences, and Editor-in-Chief of Philosophical Analysis.
Tong got his PhD from University of Bergen in Norway in 1994 and has been a professor of philosophy at ECNU since then. He was a visiting professor at the University of Marburg of Germany and a Fulbright research scholar at Columbia University in the United States. In 2010 Tong was elected foreign member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Tong has published more than 10 books and over 100 papers in areas of epistemology, practical philosophy, and social theory.
The UCA Confucius Institute for Arkansas was established in 2007 with East China Normal University, one of the most prestigious universities in China as its partner university. It is the 24th Confucius Institute created within the United States and one of 350 worldwide. It is the only such institute in Arkansas and one of the very few located in the South.
The mission of the Confucius Institute at the University of Central Arkansas is to strengthen the ties between the State of Arkansas and the People’s Republic of China, to enhance the mutual understanding of each respective culture, to promote Chinese language and culture within the State of Arkansas. This is done in a variety of ways including “Teaching Chinese in Arkansas” program, cultural experience, business translation and consultation services, seminars, as well as cultural performances and exhibitions.
This lecture is one of many events the University of Central Arkansas is hosting to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Confucius Institute. For a full schedule of events please visit uca.edu/international/ciday.
– 30 –
