About > Partnership

Founding Partners

Office of the Chinese Language Council International (Hanban)

The Office of the Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) is a nongovernmental, nonprofit public institution affiliated with China's Ministry of Education. Established in 1987, Hanban is committed to developing resources for teaching Chinese language and culture and making its services available worldwide, meeting the needs of Chinese learners overseas to the utmost degree, and contributing to global cultural diversity and harmony. Hanban helps to establish and fund Confucius Institutes around the world, which not only serve as a platform for language and cultural exchange but also create a bridge of friendship. The core focus of Hanban is on enhancing mutual understanding and friendship between the Chinese people and other peoples of the world and on promoting economic and trade cooperation and scientific, technological, and cultural exchange.

University at Buffalo, State University of New York

The University at Buffalo is a premier, research-intensive public university dedicated to academic excellence. A flagship institution of the State University of New York system, UB's thinking, research, creative activity, and people positively impact and change the world.

UB embraces global education in its teaching, research, and student and faculty composition. The university ranks second among the country's public research universities in percentage of international enrollment. In fall 2010, UB enrolled 3,931 international students, 928 for 2010-2011 of whom were from China. Nearly 12 percent of UB students study abroad - five times the national average - and the university maintains exchange programs with 70 universities around the world.

UB is proud of its longstanding relationships with the people and academic institutions of the People's Republic of China. As the first American university to establish an exchange agreement with a Chinese educational institution following the normalization of diplomatic relations in 1979, UB has long recognized the value of exchange with, and education about, China. UB established the first U.S. MBA program in China in 1984 in cooperation with the Dalian University of Technology, a program jointly sponsored by the Chinese government and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

UB's partnership with Capital Normal University in Beijing in the establishment of the Confucius Institute will build on thirty years of successful collaboration between these two great universities.

Capital Normal University

Capital Normal University (CNU) is a major comprehensive university funded by the Beijing municipal government. Capital Normal University has an outstanding academic faculty, excellent teaching facilities, and a pleasant campus environment. CNU has seventeen colleges and departments, which include programs in liberal arts, science, foreign language, art, and other areas of study. The university has 48 undergraduate programs and 151 graduate programs, of which 110 are master's programs and 41 are doctoral programs.

The university maintains modern facilities for education and scientific research and has long been engaged in international activities, establishing cooperative relations with 139 overseas universities and educational institutions worldwide.CNU is proud of the successful collaboration with UB to establish the Confucius Institute.

CNU is one of the universities that are authorized by China's Ministry of Education to enroll overseas students. About 2,500 foreign students study Chinese in long-term or short-term programs at CNU each year. CNU welcomes collaborations in all forms.