NC State Extends Chinese Classes to St. Augustine’s College

In a first for historically black colleges and universities, North Carolina State University’s Confucius Institute will extend its reach across Raleigh by opening a Confucius Classroom at St. Augustine’s College. The Confucius Classroom will provide one Chinese language instructor and an operational fund for supporting Chinese language classes and cultural events at St. Augustine’s College throughout the academic year.

Through this program, all St. Augustine’s students will be provided with expanded opportunities to engage in language and culture classes as well as extracurricular activities to enhance their understanding of Chinese language and culture. Through these increased global perspectives, St. Augustine students will be provided with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly interdependent world.

With the expansive growth of China’s economy and global reach over the past several decades, there has been a sharp increase in the demand for Chinese language instruction. The Confucius Institute at NC State was established in 2007 to enhance intercultural understanding in the United States by sponsoring Chinese language and culture programs. NC State’s Confucius Institute promotes this mission through a range of educational and outreach activities for students, teachers, businesses, and community members. Saint Augustine’s Confucius Classroom will be the third developed by NC State’s Confucius Institute, joining those already in place at Central Carolina Community College in Sanford and Enloe High School in Raleigh.

St. Augustine’s Confucius Classroom is a collaborative initiative between NC State, Nanjing Normal University, located in Nanjing, China, and Hanban (Confucius Institute Headquarters).

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