By: Roy Aker

Nearly 100 years ago, three international students from Shanghai were the first Chinese students to graduate from the University of Minnesota.

Today, there are more than 2,400 University students from greater China on a campus that boasts one of the nation’s longest held relationships between a university and China.

University President Eric Kaler, his wife Karen and five others will leave Sunday for China as part of an 11-day tour — his first international trip as president.

Meredith McQuaid, associate vice president and dean of International Programs, who will join Kaler on the trip, said Kaler will be meeting with University alumni, prospective students and donors while abroad.

After a rise in the influx of Chinese students began five years ago, McQuaid said, growth has remained steady.

In 2009, the University opened its first international office in Beijing to recruit prospective students and better serve alumni living in China.

Staff at the Beijing office meet with students at some of China’s top international institutions and help with pre-departure orientation.

“It’s difficult for any non-American to figure out how this country runs higher education,” McQuaid said.

Unlike most countries, she said, the U.S. does not have a central ministry of education — rather, higher education is structured on a state-based system.

“If a student said she wanted to study in America, it’s daunting for them to figure out how they organize what’s private versus public, what’s a four-year and what’s a research institution; it’s really dense,” she said.

Part of the goal of the Beijing office is to make the process easier for students.

In addition to meeting with staff at the Beijing office, part of Kaler’s trip will be enhancing the University’s reputation as a destination for global talent.

McQuaid said Chinese students often only consider coastal areas as locales to study, which is part of why the University wants to connect with students directly in China.

The total cost of the trip will be $125,000, or $7,450 per person, according to a press release from the Global Programs and Strategy Alliance.

Expenses for the Kalers, as well as those of Jay Weiner, the president’s speechwriter, will be covered by private funds from the University of Minnesota Foundation. All other costs will be paid by GPS Alliance reserves from earned income and discretionary funds from the foundation.