International pact paves way for Chinese doctoral degrees at USC

Originally published by USC News on July 16, 2013.

USC and the China Scholarship Foundation have announced the creation of the China Scholarship Council-USC Joint Funding Program, an international partnership to support outstanding Chinese graduate students pursuing doctoral degrees at USC.

The partnership became official at a signing ceremony in Beijing attended by senior representatives from the China Scholarship Foundation and USC Vice Provost for Global Initiatives Anthony Bailey.

“The University of Southern California benefits from the rich diversity of its students, scholars and faculty who come from around the world to become members of the Trojan Family,” said Sally Pratt, vice provost for graduate programs at USC. “This scholarship funding program will help support our outstanding doctoral students from China as we work together to meet the world’s most pressing challenges.”

Jinghui Liu, secretary general of the China Scholarship Council (CSC), said, “The program represents a joint effort to cultivate outstanding Chinese students and scholars to pursue doctoral degrees at USC.”

USC and the CSC will contribute to the scholarship funding program, which will be available beginning this fall for up to 30 Chinese doctoral students accepted into any of the schools at USC.

“We are eager to partner with the University of Southern California, one of the world’s top universities, to support students from China as they continue to pursue their ideas and research,” said Zhixue Dong, director of the CSC’s Division of American and Oceania Affairs.

Selected scholarship recipients will join exceptionally talented and diverse doctoral students in the Global PhD Fellowship program at USC. Global fellowships represent the highest level of fellowship funding offered by the university.

“USC has a long history of academic partnerships in the Pacific Rim, and we are honored to collaborate with the China Scholarship Council on this joint scholarship fund that will provide significant support for outstanding students from China,” Bailey said.

USC enrolls more international students than any other university in the United States and is among the top higher education destinations for students from China studying abroad. The USC Office of Global Initiatives maintains eight permanent international offices, including an office in Beijing managed by USC Beijing Director Joyce Chao.