The Freeman Fellows program is comprised of several components, each designed to assist these visitors in learning more about academic life at Illinois as well as broadening their knowledge of American life and culture. It also includes opportunities for these scholars to serve as resources for the campus and local communities in order for them to learn more about China.

One of the primary goals of the Freeman Fellows Program is to assist the participants in intellectual growth through research collaboration. Each Freeman Fellow comes to Illinois with a research plan that includes specific goals that will be attained through resources available at Illinois. In addition to auditing classes of interest, each Fellow is matched with a faculty partner who has similar research interests. The faculty partners facilitate the intellectual integration of the Freeman Fellows on campus by meeting with the Chinese scholars and introducing them to other faculty members on campus in their discipline. These partnerships have enriched both parties, and a number of the pairs have conducted or are conducting joint research as well as making plans for future cooperation. These collaborations have resulted in a number of public presentations, including “The 21st Century Chinese University: A Panel Discussion,” “The U.S. Media on China’s Economic Ascendance,” and “Democracy, the Absence of Truth.”

Another integral part of the Freeman Fellows program is a weekly two-hour seminar, which is lead by an Illinois faculty member or community expert. Topics have ranged from Abraham Lincoln to American Music and African-American Literature to Religious Diversity in the U.S. Some of these presentations then lead to field trips to Springfield, Memphis, Chicago and Indianapolis, offering the Freeman Fellows a chance to experience more of American life and culture.

Regular participation in professional activities is another important part of the program. Freeman Fellows attend campus lectures and meetings, and receive funding to participate in national and international conferences, where they may participate in panels or present scholarly papers.
Opportunities for community interaction are also a part of the Freeman Fellows program. Through the efforts of the International Hospitality Committee and community volunteers Joe and Joyce Peacock, each visiting scholar is matched with a host family, who assist the Fellows in becoming comfortable with life in Urbana-Champaign by introducing them to the area, answering questions about life in the U.S., and including them in meals and special family events. During the first semester of their stay at Illinois, the Peacocks also arrange a number of “cross-cultural conversations” for the scholars. Each Monday afternoon they gather at a home in the university neighborhood for a lively discussion on a given topic, and for the past two years the group has been delighted that University of Illinois President White and his wife have opened their home for one of these meetings.

In a new venture in spring 2007, a number of the Freeman Fellows have collaborated with Illinois professors Poshek Fu (History) and C.Y. Chiu (Psychology) to offer a graduate seminar on Popular Culture and Self-Identity in Greater China. Also new this academic year, the Freeman Fellows Advisory Committee, comprised of eighteen faculty members from across campus, provides guidance and suggestions as we continue to strive to make this program the best it can be for our visitors.

Many former Freeman Fellows have remained in touch with EAPS and with each other, and a number of formal and informal Freeman Fellows reunions have occurred in China. We hope to soon provide a Web-based system for the Freeman Fellow alums so that they can continue to network and share ideas after their return to China. In addition, Freeman Fellow universities have hosted delegations from Illinois departments of education, communication and law. In November 2006, former Freeman Fellow Wang Handong, Wuhan University, brought four of his faculty colleagues to campus for discussions on future student-to-student collaborations as well as a public presentation on the history of Chinese media.

The Freeman scholars, faculty partners, general university community, and beyond have all benefited from the presence of the Freeman Fellows program at Illinois and as China becomes more important to Illinois and the United States, these young scholars’ presence will continue to contribute to intellectual collaboration and mutual understanding.