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Colleges Offer Fellowship to Chinese Dissident Chen Guangcheng
By Catherine Groux
Posted May 10, 2012 09:31 AM
Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng has been offered a fellowship at two schools.When individuals enroll in law school, they can typically look forward to guest speakers who will give them a deeper insight on the field. This fall, New York University's (NYU) law school will be no exception, as, if everything goes according to plan, they will welcome Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports.
Chen has made international headlines with his thoughts on the corruption in the Chinese province of Shandong. More recently, the blind self-educated lawyer has been the focus of a U.S.-China diplomacy controversy.
In April, the dissident escaped from house arrest in the Shandong province, traveling to Beijing to seek refuge at the U.S. Embassy. Since the beginning of May, Chen has been in a Chinese hospital, stating that he wants to come to the U.S. for refuge and is afraid of what will happen to his family if they remain in China. However, the Chinese government stated that "if he wants to study abroad, he can apply through normal channels to the relevant departments...just like any other Chinese citizen," The Washington Post reports.
Chen's agreement with NYU could help settle the American-Chinese dispute, as it would allow him to come to the U.S. under a fellowship. The law school's website states that professor Jerome Cohen has been speaking with Chen since late April and has formally invited him to become a visiting scholar at NYU in New York or on one of its global campuses.
Other schools are also willing to welcome Chen to their campuses, including the University of Washington. In a letter signed by president Michael Young and provost Ana Mari Cauce, the institution officially invited Chen to study law or international relations at the school, Reuters reports.
"The University of Washington has a strong history and reputation in China Studies, with both a China Studies program and a China Law Center," the letter to the Chinese dissident stated. "We have no doubts that we could provide you with a strong collegial and academic environment where you could be involved in taking, and possibly teaching, classes as well as conducting other scholarship ... It would be our honor for you to join the University of Washington community."
University spokesman Norm Arkans told Reuters they have yet to receive a response from Chen regarding their offer.
