The Elite of the Elite at Peking University

By Philip G. Altbach. Peking University will soon open its Yenching Academy, a new one-year masters program in Chinese studies open to both Chinese and international students and taught in English. According to the New York Times, the program has engendered considerable dissent on campus—surprising in an environment that, to say the least, does not encourage complaining about academic decisions. The Yenching Academy will renovate several of the original buildings at the center of the campus and add other buildings. It will provide an all-expense paid interdisciplinary program. In fact, it is similar to the Schwartzman Scholars initiative at cross-town, arch-rival Tsinghua University. More...