The Hong Kong-based Sun Wah Education Foundation plans to donate $5 million today to MSU's College of Education.
The money will fund the United States-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence. The center will pair MSU professors and researchers with Chinese scholars to investigate the strengths of both Western and Eastern educational techniques.
Yong Zhao, associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education, said the main difference between the two practices involve academic strengths.
"Traditionally, if you look at Eastern Asia, it is very strong in math and sciences, but not in terms of creativity and critical thinking," Zhao said. "The U.S. seems to be very strong in fostering creativity, but not very strong in math, science and comparative studies."
Zhao will direct the center which will have its headquarters at MSU.
Provost Lou Anna Simon said Zhao's international networking abilities have not only earned him a respectable reputation but also a unique opportunity for the college. She said his efforts to connect MSU with Chinese academic professionals will allow both countries to learn from each other.
"We have a strength in the College of Education and a major foundation based in Hong Kong who really wants to build a bridge so that what works in one country and what works in another can be moved across the bridge for the management of both," Simon said.
Jack Schwille, professor and assistant dean for international studies in education, said the research will emphasize how the K-12 education system works in each culture.
"We'll investigate all the aspects of good schooling and look at both countries and the best way to integrate the best of both," he said.
Schwille said professors in the College of Education have previously completed studies on Chinese culture that might add to the upcoming research.
"We have a strong international faculty in the college and they have a lot of experience studying education in different countries," he said. "I expect a number to be involved."
MSU President M. Peter McPherson said the planned research is a "wonderful idea" and it will bring the College of Education's expertise to the forefront.
"This an excellent idea from which both Michigan State and Chinese educational institutions will learn a great deal," he said.
The Sun Wah Education Foundation is part of the $1.2 billion Sun Wah Group conglomerate. The group's activities span more than seven countries.
