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McDonnell International Scholars Academy Formed

An unprecedented partnership formed to foster global understanding through innovative partnerships between the world's top universities and leading corporations was announced in late October in Beijing.

The formation of the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, a global education and research initiative, involves Washington University in St. Louis and top foreign universities and leading multinational corporations. The Chinese universities involved include Peking University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University and China Agricultural University.

Each of the four Chinese universities will send one student to the McDonnell Academy every year. The students will see all their expenses paid for graduate study in the United States in a manner similar to that of the Rhodes Scholarships for study in the United Kingdom. The academy not only provides students with rigorous graduate instruction in their chosen degree areas, but also includes extracurricular programmes designed to prepare them as future leaders knowledgeable about critical international issues.  The extracurricular programme includes leadership training, cultural events, seminars and workshops with experts in key areas, conferences on crucial issues, and sessions in Washington, D.C., with US government policymakers and grant administrators.

The McDonnell Academy aims to explore an innovative new way to foster international cooperation in education and research.  The Academy's scholars will form a network of global leaders in academia, business and government for the new generation.