Hopkins-Nanjing Center Blog

After 11 years of service, HNC Professor Wilton Fowler retired at the end of this academic year.  Focusing on American history, he taught in Nanjing from 2002-2008 and 2010-2015.  His courses included Critical Developments in American History, Founding Fathers and Loyalists,  American Diplomatic History, and Missionaries in China.  In his farewell remarks, Professor Fowler reflected on some of the history that took place during his years at the HNC, including the semester HNC spent in Hawaii because of SARS.  In thanking him for his years of service, HNC Co-Director Neil Kubler noted that many in the HNC community refer to Professor Fowler as 爷爷, reflecting how much he will be missed by students, faculty, and staff.  He was also famous among the HNC community for his historical walking tours of Nanjing.   Below are pictures from Professor Fowler's retirement party on June 18: It wouldn't be a party without cake Professor Fowler (center...

As we have previously featured , HNC students are often able to take advantage of our location in China to engage in learning outside of the classroom.  Another example is Professor Adam Webb's Politics of Rural Development course, which includes an annual field trip each fall to a different village in Anhui or Jiangsu province.  On the trip, students conduct interviews on specific topics of their own choosing, which they then combine with further research to complete the final paper for the class.  Of this field experience Professor Webb said, "This brings to life some of the rural issues that we cover in the class, and for many students (both international and urban Chinese) this is a rare opportunity to talk directly with people in the countryside."  He also noted the high level of camaraderie among students in this class, who often work closely together during the interviews.  Check out pictures from this past fall's trip below: Professor ...

This past Friday, June 19 was commencement day at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center.  Congratulations to our newest graduates!  Check out pictures from the day below: Congratulations to the class of 2015! Faculty, staff, and family gather to celebrate the graduates HNC Co-Director Kubler recognizes the members of the student committee Consul General Hanscom Smith addresses the graduates HNC MAIS graduates line up to be recognized HNC certificate graduates Relaxing in the HNC courtyard on commencement day Posing for photos in the HNC courtyard Despite the cap, Thomas Mao will not be graduating this year

“Jill” Xiaoting Huang, SAIS ’16, is a second year SAIS MA student, double concentrating in China Studies and International Law. She was born in Liaoning, China, and went to undergraduate at Tianjin Foreign Studies University. After that, she worked for almost two years at the Bank of China Headquarters in Beijing as an associate account manager in the Financial Institutions Department. Jill has long been familiar with the HNC because her uncle is a HNC alumnus, graduating in the early 90s as one of the earliest certificate graduates of the Hopkins-Nanjing Center. During her years in Beijing, Jill went to many HNC/SAIS gatherings and got to know alumni of both the HNC and SAIS. She still remembers the first day she met American HNC alumni and how amazed she was by their flawless Mandarin. “It was a strange and yet wonderful feeling, ”she said, “to communicate with Americans my age who can express themselves freely in Mandarin and truly understand Chinese culture as well.” Jill believes...

SAIS China, Project Pengyou, and the Committee of 100 will be co-hosting an event on June 21 in Washington, D.C. on past and current issues in U.S.-China people to people exchanges.  This event is open to the public and media, and we encourage prospective HNC students to consider attending if you are in the area. More information about the event is below: Time: Sunday, June 21, 2015 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm Local Time Location: Johns Hopkins University, SAIS, Kenney Auditorium, 1740 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20036 Audience: Open to Public and Media RSVP: Please RSVP (rsvp@projectpengyou.org) by 6/18/15. Event Website: Click here. Event Description: In advance of the upcoming U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogues (S&ED) and High Level Consultation on People to People Exchanges (CPE), Project Pengyou, JHU-SAIS China and the Committee of 100 are co-hosting a speakers forum exploring the evolution of U.S.-China bridge-building since America’s founding. This fo...

HNC students in Professor Paul Armstrong-Taylor's Corporate Finance class recently had the opportunity to connect with an alumnus working on mergers and acquisitions.  HNC '14 alumnus Lee Henely now works for Bank of America Merrill Lynch in their Palo Alto office.  Via a video connection from Silicon Valley, he explained to current students how and why mergers and acquisition deals happen.  He also led the students through a case study to illustrate these lessons.  Finally, in the Q&A session, Lee spoke of the value of his HNC experience in his current job and how he hopes it will continue to help him reach his future career goals.  Knowledge of China and Chinese is increasingly important in the venture capital world, and Lee hopes to be able to leverage this by returning to China at some point in the future.  Professor Armstrong-Taylor said, "I think this provides an opportunity to show that the HNC brings a range of skills that are valued in careers ...

The spring semester is wrapping up at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center! Students, faculty, and staff recently took a break from final exams and papers by holding an end of the year BBQ in the HNC courtyard. Below are a few pictures from the event, which featured some good eats, and a performance by the student band.  Getting the grill ready. Professors Webb and Armstrong-Taylor join in on the fun. It wouldn't be a party without a performance by the band! A great turnout for the day.  It looks like Thomas Mao may have gone a bit overboard  with the celebrations.