I sent the following letter on 12/18/06 to members of the Oregon Legislature's Ways and Means Subcommittee on Education, members of the Senate Education and General Government Committee, members of the House Education Committee, and members of the House Workforce and Economic Development Committee.
Congratulations and Season’s Greetings.
Please expand Mandarin classes throughout Oregon’s K-16 educational system and develop programs to send many Oregon students to study abroad in China.
“Think China. What will China’s impact be on Oregon’s economy and on the lives of Oregon students and residents over the next fifty years? Whether today’s students are doing business with China, cooperating with China, competing with China or even conflicting with China, it’s impact on Oregon will be enormous. All of today’s students—whether they become doctors, lawyers, teachers, artists, farmers, dentists, computer programmers, high tech engineers or business people—will be dealing with or affected by China every day of their lives. In sum, China will be a dominant force for economic development, for national security, and for peace. If the enormity of China’s impact on Oregon, on America and on the world is destined to be a hallmark of the 21st century, Oregon students should be given every opportunity and encouragement to learn the Chinese language and experience China’s culture, society and economic communities.”
This is the opening paragraph of the proposed new initiative “Developing the China Connection through Educational Programs” that Representative Dennis Richardson and I submitted to the Oregon Business Plan (http://www.oregonbusinessplan.org/) on 11/1/06. A copy is attached and can also be found on Representative Richardson’s website at http://www.dennisrichardson.org/pdf/OBPchineseproposal.pdf. We have not yet received their decision and may not before the Oregon Business Plan’s Leadership Summit 2007 on 1/4/07.
Currently less than 1% of Oregon high schools graduates have had two years or more of Mandarin. While some expansion is underway, it is unlikely to reach 2% soon. During the 2003-04 academic year, only 35 (0.044%) of the 79,558 students in the Oregon University System studied abroad in China. These are not the educational statistics of a state prepared for the global economy of the 21st century.
What to do? Oregon should set as goals for the year 2015 that (a) 5% or more of Oregon students graduating from high school have studied Mandarin for at least two academic years in high school and have spent at least four weeks in China, (b) 10% or more of the students graduating from Oregon public universities have studied Mandarin for at least two academic years, and (c) 50% of the students graduating from Oregon public universities have spent at least four weeks in China.
These goals may come as a shock, or seem impossible, presumptuous, or even absurd to you. Yet, as you become familiar with the challenges before us in Oregon and America, you may wonder, as I do, if even these goals are enough. What is at stake is our economic prosperity, our national security and world peace. You have a very profound responsibility.
I recognize that the challenges a rising China poses, and the need to respond with Mandarin and study abroad programs, are largely unrecognized and unacknowledged issues with even less general public concern. There are no special interests demanding action. All your leadership skills will be needed to bring the public along.
We, of course, need to follow goal setting with actions to reach the goals. Not yet knowing what the Oregon Business Plan may propose, I have developed a proposed two year, $12.16 million budget for an “Oregon Comprehensive Mandarin Development Program” (attached). I offer it as what I would do if I had your responsibilities (especially if the Oregon Business Plan does nothing).
Thomas L Friedman wrote recently in his 11/10/06 NY Times column: “I still believe that when the history of this era is written, the trend that historians will cite as the most significant will not be 9/11 and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. It will be the rise of China and India. How the world accommodates itself to these rising powers, and how America manages the economic opportunities and challenges they pose, is still the most important global trend to watch.”
The relevant question is: “What will future historians write as to the response of the 74th Legislative session to the rise of China and India?”
Thanks you for your interest – Dave Porter
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