The 100,000 Strong Initiative

The Forum received a letter from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton urging the Forum and its members to “realize President Obama’s goal of dramatically increasing the number of American students studying in China." Clinton describes the “100,000 Strong" initiative, which has the goal of sending over 100,000 students to China over the next three years. The letter reads in part, “Today I offer this challenge to leaders of American institutes of higher education and study-abroad providers: Double the number of your students who study in China by 2014.”

According to the description, the initiative “will rely fully on private-sector financial support and will be implemented by non-governmental organizations.” Forum President and CEO Brian Whalen stated, “I encourage Forum member institutions to examine the “100,000 Strong" initiative and consider the critical importance of China as a study abroad destination.”