Together with the government of the People's Republic of China, San Francisco State University has inaugurated the new Confucius Institute to train teachers of Chinese Language. The collaboration is reported in the latest issue of the College of Education newsletter. An $88,000 grant establishes the Institute as a non-profit operating within the University. The grant was made by Beijing's National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language. The mission of the Confucius Institute is to meet the accelerating demand for Chinese language teacher training

Three other cities in the United States also have Confucius Institutes in operation: New York, Chicago, and Washington, D.C. Confucius Institutes already function in Australia, Sweden, Japan, and Great Britain. There are twenty branches in all.

Robert A. Corrigan, the university's president, said: "San Francisco State University's goal to provide international experiences, perspectives and competencies complements the Confucius Institute's mission to meet the surging demand for Chinese language instruction at all education levels." San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger sent representatives to the inauguration ceremony.

Three of the colleges at San Francisco State will collaborate on Confucius Institute programs, according to the newsletter. The College of Education will train teachers of Chinese language and heritage for K-12 schools and community colleges. The College of Humanities will offer non-degree courses, lectures, seminars, and other learning opportunities in general Chinese and Chinese for special purposes. The College of Extended Learning will offer courses and public events with a focus on China. For further information, ci [at] sfsu [dot] edu (email) or call 415-338-7631.