A Study On Higher Education And The Soft Power Of The United States

Till today, America still remains the only superpower that not only enjoys immense and immeasurable hard power, but also is adept at wielding its soft power, which comes from its cultural and political ideals as well as policies aimed at getting admiration and favorable outcomes. In this era of globalization and information, it has been widely accepted that in most cases the merits of employing soft power tremendously outweigh those of hard power, saving a lot of military and economic sources. Among the sources of American soft power, higher education-particularly international higher education-serves as an effective aspect and indispensable component of American public diplomacy. It has played a crucial part in creating a source of goodwill worldwide toward the United States and in cultivating masses of excellent and outstanding American citizens. America has implemented a long-term cultural strategy with the purpose of creating a richer, more understandable society and favorable international relations. The unfailing Chinese craze for rushing to the USA sees numerous international students and scholars swarming into this country every year; deeply attracted by its well-off society, advanced science and technology, top-class universities, these people strive to get the opportunity of study or work there through various Sino-US exchange programs and international collaborations. In recent years transnational education institutions like NYU Shanghai and DKU have undergone rapid growth, and the American higher education branch has done a remarkable job in building, sustaining and strengthening a lasting foundation for dialogue and partnership with the rest of the world, bringing enormous economic return as well as attracting countless top talents to the US. Meanwhile, American government has always provided support for the country’s international higher education in terms of fund-raising and the enacting of international education laws. The establishment of exchange programs and the boom of cross-border education thus naturally enhance American soft power and benefit the country as a whole.As the saying goes, know yourself as well as the enemy, and victory will be yours. As an increasingly influential part of American international education, higher education institutions co-run by transnational provision countries-with the US as the leader-have highlighted further the mission they shouldered, namely to facilitate a better understanding of American policy and society, and to enhance its charm and attractiveness in host countries through closer and deeper interactions with local students and communities. In addition, these joint-venture universities provide a better chance for learning Chinese and getting more first-hand information about the cultures and values of the Chinese society. This paper focuses on how NUY Shanghai and DKU, the pioneering Sino-US joint-venture higher educational institutions in the Chinese Mainland, have become an important initiative of the USA to project and expand its soft power. An overall review of the literature on soft power studies reveals that so far there has been few topic-concerned scholarly work dealing with the linkage between the US soft power and joint-venture universities, for these Sino-US joint venture universities have only sprouted recently, with a history of barely 4 years. By conducting an in-depth case study, this study is dedicated to exploring with a detailed analysis how the two universities function in projecting and exerting soft power of the United States.The question is that the soft power game is not a zero-sum one that allows a single winner. It could be a win-win game. Nevertheless, a key point is that the benefits enjoyed would not be equal on both sides. In the two Sino-US universities, although American culture holds a dominant position, Chinese culture, with its long history and unique charm, could still find a place of its own. Greater influence of Chinese culture and expansion of the Chinese soft power is possible if we deal with this issue more properly.