Chancellor Biddy Martin returned to Madison last week after visiting China with hopes of increasing UW-Madison's visibility with several Chinese universities.
Martin visited with officials at universities in four different Chinese cities and with several families of UW-Madison students and alumni.
According to Martin, the visit will allow for a more open exchange and partnerships between the two countries.
She said the Chinese people were friendly and helpful and she was able to form many key relationships with Chinese officials as well as UW-Madison alumni and students.
""The trip was moving because of the striking friendliness and helpfulness of the Chinese people with whom we interacted,"" she said in a transcript of an interview. ""It was an important trip because of what we learned, but also because of the contacts we made and the relationships we built or strengthened.""
Martin said UW-Madison already has a strong reputation in China, and said she believes it is important to build on this reputation.
""The future of U.S.-China relations depends on the relationships that young people build with one another and the quality of their collaborative efforts to solve the genuinely daunting problems of economic and environmental sustainability and peace,"" she said.
Martin announced during her trip that several Chinese student-athletes will live and study in Madison for six months as a part of a new partnership with Beijing University of Sport, according to press release.
The students are athletes in a variety of sports, including track, swimming, skiing and gymnastics. Several of the athletes competed in and earned medals at the 2008 summer Olympics and 2010 winter Olympics.
The athletes are expected to arrive in Madison in June and will be enrolled in a program consisting of seminars focusing on English as a second language, physical education and Western history.
The program, the Wisconsin Institute for Global Leadership, was formed by UW-Madison Kinesiology Professor Li Li Ji in 2008.
