專訪美國麻省大學副校長Katherine S. Newman：推進公立高等教育 我能做的還有更多

彭杏月

于美國各大常青藤大學任教多年，Katherine最終選擇回歸老牌公立型大學。她的目標很明確——推廣美國公立高等教育，為更多平民學生謀福祉。

打開Katherine?S.?Newman的CV，赫然入眼的是首頁“哈佛、哥倫比亞、普林斯頓大學教授”這一類亮閃閃的名銜。然而，雖然任教于美國頂尖的私立學術研究機構多年，這些光環卻并不是Katherine的終極目標，推廣美國公立高等教育才是她一直以來的夢想。

作為一名昔日的受益者，Katherine將自己的一切成就都歸功于曾接受的公立高等教育，如今，她希望以回饋者的身份回歸公立大學，通過推動公立教育的發展，為年輕一代的平民階層創造更多機會。加入馬薩諸塞大學阿默斯特分校（以下簡稱?UMass?Amherst）擔任教務長和分管學術事物的高級副校長，正是Katherine實現這一夢想的開端。

切身體會成為動力

為幫助平民學生投身公立教育

Katherine生于加利福尼亞州的一個平民家庭，由于父母無力支付高昂的學費，她從小學起接受的便是美國的公立教育。所幸加州的公立高等教育發展十分完善，Katherine成功考取了加州大學圣地亞哥分校，之后她又在加州大學伯克利分校完成了博士學位的學習，畢業后，Katherine接連任教于美國多所常春藤院校。

投身高等教育幾十年，Katherine在社會學領域頗多建樹，如今更已成為美國學術界聲名遠揚的教授，但在規劃下一步的人生發展時，Katherine發覺自己缺失了一些東西。在私立大學和頂尖學術機構的從業經歷固然寶貴，可是，推廣公立高等教育的愿望始終縈繞在Katherine心頭?！拔铱释貧w公立高等教育，因為我本身就是公立教育的受益者，我很想以此為契機，為下一代的發展做出貢獻?！?/p>

作為一名優秀的社會學者，美國社會的流動性和機會結構是Katherine十分感興趣的研究領域。她發現：高等教育是一個人在社會鏈中取得上升性流動的巨大推動力之一。所謂上升流動，是指人們通過努力得以改變自己本來的狀況，例如提升社會地位、仕途晉升、獲得更高收入等，而高等教育在這個過程中扮演著至關重要的角色。而對于處于美國勞動力市場底層人們的就業情況的關注，也使Katherine愈發認識到教育的重要性。“不管在美國還是中國，好的發展機會往往會流向那些受過良好教育、擁有一技之長的人?！彼颉读魧W》雜志記者舉例：在60年代，人們單靠在流水線上進行體力工作，就足以養家糊口，但如今想要謀得一席發展，人們必須要受過良好的教育。因此，高等教育體系的構建，以及接受高等教育渠道的拓展，對人們日后的發展方向起著決定性作用。

在哈佛大學、哥倫比亞大學一類的頂尖大學從事教學和研究期間，Katherine發現，這些私立學校的學生大多家世顯赫，而公立學校的大部分學生則來自平民階層，這讓她意識到：如果說有誰最渴望通過教育來改變自己的命運，那一定是這些就讀于公立學校的學生們，家世平平的背景讓他們迫切需要改變出身、提升自我?！拔以趯W校上學時也有這樣的感受，所以我知道高等教育對于拓展人生的可能性來說有多么重要?！?/p>

也正是因為擁有這種切身體會，Katherine立志推進公立高等教育的發展。而在這個當口，UMass?Amherst這所老牌公立名校給了Katherine一個絕佳的契機，將她推廣公立高等教育的愿望和提升底層勞動人民就業機遇這一學術興趣實現了充分結 合。

推進中美教育交流項目

提供線上優質課程

加入馬薩諸塞大學，Katherine看中的不僅是其作為一所一流公立性研究大學所擁有的卓越度，還有學校領導對于公立教育的堅持?！拔倚蕾pUMass?Amherst的領導團隊，因為他們專注于公立教育的發展，致力于為年輕人的夢想鋪路搭橋?！?/p>

如今，作為UMass?Amherst的領導者之一，Katherine計劃并創立了一系列項目，為來自低收入家庭的學生提供經濟補助，創造更多學術研究的機會。Katherine了解，對于學術質量相當的私立學校和公立學校，私立大學往往向學生收取的學費比公立大學要高很多。相比之下，公立大學長期以來由各州政府資助，所以可以供更多人享受高等教育資源。“一個學生在UMass每年的開銷，一共是大約2萬3千美元，而在我以前工作過的約翰·霍普金斯大學，這一數字大約是每年6萬2千美元。”

除此之外，Katherine還計劃加深UMass?Amherst與中國的合作。首先，UMass?Amherst將對接中國的一流大學，共同設立合作項目，派遣美國學生到對方學校學習，這些項目可以涉及中國歷史、建筑環境、農業和科學等任一領域。同時，增加中國學生來Umass?Amherst的交流機會。Katherine向記者介紹，目前每年有數百名中國本科學生來到Umass?Amherst學習，研究生數量也相當可觀，其中大部分學生選擇的是STEM學科方向的課程。Katherine想獨辟蹊徑，創辦更多的短期研究生項目，同時發展以工程，計算機科學，經濟，教育，英語等學科為主的線上授課，以此縮減學生的留學費用。

此外，Katherine還立志在線上教育方面率先開創中文普通話課程，以減小面對面英文線上授課的語言障礙。同時，校內設有翻譯中心，專為學生提供閱讀材料，并輔以同聲翻譯。Katherine希望通過這些舉措，一方面幫助中國學生克服語言障礙，順利完成學業，另一方面也免去了兩年的赴美留學費用，使學生足不出戶就可享受美國的優質教育資源。

留學潮的雙向影響

回國意向與專業傾向發生改變

作為一名社會學家，Katherine對于近年來出現的中美留學熱潮也有著自己的觀 察。

留學潮曾促使更多中國人口流入美國，他們在享受美國教育資源的同時，也增添了美國勞動力市場的活力。針對這種留學潮產生的影響，Katherine認為其具有雙向性，并主要體現在人口流動方向和留學生熱門專業兩個領域。

一方面，赴美留學的中國學生和學者不再單向涌入美國，而是出現了回國潮。美國作為一個移民國家，匯聚了世界各民族人口，這極大地豐富了美國的文化多樣性?！拔业淖娓改篙呏挥幸蝗顺錾诿绹?，我的丈夫是英國移民，我的孩子們是英裔美國人，而這種組合在美國很常見?！盞atherine接觸的中國學生中不少都是“第1.5代移民”，他們在很小的年紀來到美國，還有些在美國出生但仍根系中國文化。Katherine坦言：自己原以為中國學生希望復制這種移民經歷，留學后便在美國當地發展。

但這種情況早已發生了變化。中國現在加大了在學術研究領域的資金投入，而美國同期卻在縮減投入。中國經濟的飛速發展也為許多高學歷、高能力的人才提供了眾多機遇，因此許多在美國接受高等教育的學生、學者又返回到中國發展。不僅如此，許多美國學生也紛紛前往中國，將中國視為機會之鄉，尋求在科技、經濟和教育等領域的發展?！拔覂鹤拥囊粋€好朋友現在就在北京的一所學校當校長，我身邊的一些教授也選擇去中國進行學術研究。”Katherine說道。

另一方面，留學專業熱點也由STEM逐漸轉移到了文科。Katherine觀察到，第一代中國移民由于受到父母辛勤勞作的濡染，通常具有很強烈的工作觀念，來自父輩生活的壓力使他們更愿意選擇STEM領域，因為這些學科在美國就業前景很好。但是到了第二代移民，學生會更傾向于探索戲劇、歷史、法律和藝術類專業，此時他們已經較為美國化，比起上一代移民，他們更加適應美國的主流文化和價值體系。他們的思想更為自由，愿意做一些帶有風險的嘗試，比如從事無報酬但值得一試的工作領域。這些學生往往研究的是中國戲劇翻譯（David?Henry?Hwang），移民歷史（Mae?Ngai），或者在美國的中國團體社會現狀（Margaret?Chin），這種轉變在美國的移民群體中很常見。

“我們目睹的留學潮具有雙面影響，這對于加深國際理解，提升經濟流動性來說是一個良性發展。”

（本文由《留學》雜志合作伙伴麻州國際教育協助聯絡。）

Q=《留學》

A=Katherine

Q：您如何看待名校的光環效應？

A：對于一個中國學生而言，入讀美國大學意味著面臨巨大的挑戰，比如大量的學習時間、大量的金錢耗費、以及家人們對海歸子女賺錢能力的期待等等。因此，中國的留學生家庭都追求他們在高等教育方面的投資能夠產生最大的產值。這些家庭身在遙遠的海外，在選校的時候若沒有機會親自造訪并深入調研學校，參考排名就是一種快捷的方式。

排名是展現一個學校教育質量的非常實用的數據，因此，我們對UMass近年來排名的快速提升感到非常驕傲。我們的進步比幾乎所有其他的美國公立大學都要快，這提高了我們在世界范圍內的吸引力，很多學生都認為應該把UMass作為自己的最終選擇。我們也在努力讓中國學生認識到，我們提供的教育質量有多高。不過，不論是我們還是其他學校從排名中“借了光”，我們都鼓勵中國學生盡可能廣泛地了解美國的諸多高等學府。

Q：您對好學生的定義是什么？

A：所謂好學生，指的就是對其所學抱有激情之人，這些人并不滿足于老師所直接教授的東西，而是自己主動地觀察現實，并積極提出不同看法。他們運用自己學到的知識，向更高更深的層次邁進。在課堂上，優秀的美國學生總是在尊敬老師的同時，挑戰老師們的觀點，而不是被動地接受觀點，這種思考的獨立性為我們所贊賞。此外，好學生還要能夠流利地寫作、有說服力地闡述觀點、對其專業領域內的知識有深刻的見解，并樂于在課業以外進行思考和實踐。Umass擁有數千名來自世界各地的優秀學生，我們感到非常幸運。我們期待看到他們的成就。

Q：您如何看待分數和考試？

A：考試分數代表了學生綜合素質的某些方面，但這些信息卻并不夠精確細致。分數并不能代表一個學生的創造力和恒心，在衡量一個學生克服研究瓶頸的能力時，或衡量一個學生撰寫復雜論文的能力時，考試分數很難說明問題。而這些能力又恰恰是在美國大學中取得成功的關鍵技能，這就意味著，一個學生可能分數很好，但在他們真正參與到美國式課堂的時候卻感到非常困難。

Q：中國留學生傾向于選擇STEM專業和商科專業，對于文科專業關注相對較低，對此您的觀點是什么？

A：中國學生在理科方面的基礎非常好，這讓很多中國學生傾向于選擇STEM專業，我們并不覺得這是什么問題。不過，當我們觀察來自中國的第二代移民時，會發現有更多人愿意學習藝術和人文專業，這些人的選擇體現了美國社會的同化和社會流動的進 程。

我認為，我們應該為所有學生提供機會，讓他們追求發自內心感興趣的東西。幸運的是，我們的教育系統讓學生們得以嘗試不同的方向，并在不滿意的時候隨時改變。我本科學哲學專業，后來又輔修了社會學，在研究生階段，我又獲得了人類學的博士學位，后來到了法學院教書。我自己也算不上是“從一而終的乖孩子”?。?/p>

Q：如何避免專業扎堆，選擇真正適合自己的發展方向？

A：我一直在不斷嘗試新的研究命題，我本人仍然在不斷地改變“發展方向”。美國教育具有極大的靈活性，這讓我具有了打破常規的思考方式，而我希望其他人也具有相似的態度。當然，對于那些立志于成為某些領域的專家，希望精益求精地鉆研某些問題的人，我也是充滿尊敬的。美國教育認為，不存在什么唯一正確的發展方向，而這是美國教育最偉大的品質之一。

Katherine?S.?Newman：

Higher?Education?for?the?Public

Translator：?Valley?&?Gao?Hang

After?many?years?of?teaching?in?the?Ivy?League，?Katherine?Newman?finally?chooses?to?return?to?public?education.?Her?aims?are?clear：?to?develop?public?education?in?the?United?States?and?to?benefit?more?students?from?ordinary?families.

The?first?glance?at?Katherine?S.?Newmans?CV?can?be?very?impressing，?with?so?many?titles?of?professors?in?Harvard，?Columbia?and?Princeton?University，?etc.?However，?given?many?years?of?experience?in?such?top?academic?institutions?of?the?United?States，?what?has?long?been?exciting?for?Katherine?is?actually?developing?public?education?in?the?US.

As?one?of?the?beneficiaries?of?USs?public?education，?Katherine?attributes?all?her?success?to?this?system.?Now?she?hopes?she?can?return?to?public?education?and?make?some?feedback.?By?promoting?the?development?of?public?education，?she?dreams?to?create?more?opportunities?for?the?youths?from?lower?classes.?Katherine?chose?University?of?Massachusetts?Amherst?（UMass?Amherst）?as?the?beginning?of?her?way?to?realize?the?dream.?She?is?the?Provost?and?Senior?Vice?Chancellor?for?Academic? Affairs.

Driven?by?personal?experience

Devoted?to?public?education

Born?in?an?ordinary?family?in?California，?Katherine?could?not?afford?expensive?private?education?when?she?was?young.?Since?primary?school，?Katherine?had?started?to?enjoy?the?public?education?system，?which?is?well-developed?in?California.?She?later?graduated?from?University?of?California?San?Diego?and?completed?her?PhD?research?in?University?of?California，?Berkeley.?After?that，?she?spent?long?time?teaching?at?various?universities?of?Ivy?League.

For?decades，?Katherine?has?enjoyed?a?brilliant?fame?of?professor?and?sociologist.?But?when?planning?for?the?future，?she?found?that?something?is?missing.?The?experience?in?top?private?academic?institutions?is?no?doubt?precious，?but?her?wish?to?contribute?in?public?education?has?by?no?means?faded.?Benefited?much?from?it，?Katherine?is?eager?to?go?back?to?our?public?higher?education.?She?plans?to?take?her?position?in?public?education?as?an?opportunity?to?make?my?contribution?to?the?growth?of?our?later?generation.

As?a?sociologist，?Katherine?has?long?been?interested?in?questions?of?social?mobility?and?the?opportunity?structure?of?American?society.?She?thinks?university?education?is?one?of?the?great?drivers?of?upward?mobility?in?our?society.?The?upward?mobility?refers?to?the?capacity?of?a?person?to?rise?above?the?position?they?were?born?to?and?reach?the?experience?of?climbing?up?the?occupational?ladder?and?being?able?to?earn?a?higher?income?than?their?parents?do.?Education?plays?a?critical?role?in?this?process.?“I?noticed?that?especially?now，?the?very?best?jobs?in?both?our?countries?are?going?to?the?people?who?are?well-educated?and?have?high?level?of?social?skill.?“?In?60?years?ago，?it?was?possible?for?someone?to?make?a?pretty?good?living?if?you?are?a?strong?person?who?can?work?on?the?assembly?line，?and?they?can?get?a?fairly?good?salary.?But?today，?the?best?jobs?really?go?to?the??well-educated?people，?so?the?education?system?and?the?access?to?it?is?very?important?in?determining?where?people?end?up?in?their?adult?lives.

During?her?days?in?Harvard?and?Columbia，?Katherine?has?found?that?although?many?of?her?students?in?these?private?schools?were?from?humble?families，?the?majority?of?students?in?private?universities?nationwide?come?from?more?affluent?households.?This?made?Katherine?think?that?the?real?action?for?anyone?interested?in?changing?the?course?of?a?generation's?life?chances?might?be?in?the?public?universities，?where?students?often?come?from?more?modest?backgrounds?and?are?striving?for?the?chance?to?improve?on?the?experience?of?previous?generations.?“That?was?true?for?me?as?a?young?student，?so?I?know?how?important?higher?education?is?in?opening?up?possibilities?in?life”?says?Katherine.

Such?personal?experience?leads?Katherine?to?set?up?her?goal?as?progressing?the?development?of?public?higher?education.?When?Katherine?began?taking?leadership?roles?in?UMass?Amherst，?a?reputable?public?university?with?a?long?tradition，?she?recognized?that?it?was?possible?to?combine?her?academic?interest?and?moral?commitments?to?enhance?employment?opportunity?for?the?people?from?the?bottom?of?the?society?with?action?as?an?administrator.

Cooperate?with?China：?International?Programs?and? Onl

Katherine?chooses?UMass?Amherst?not?only?because?it?is?one?of?the?outstanding?public?researching?house?in?the?United?States，?but?also?because?the?leadership?of?UMass?Amherst?have?persistence?on?the?idea?of?public?education.?Katherine?said?she?was?impressed?by?the?talented?and?devoted?leaders?of?UMass?Amherst.?They?build?pathways?for?younger??generations?to?realize?their?dreams.

As?an?administrator，?Katherine?can?now?design?programs?to?reach?out?to?young?people?from?low?income?families，?provide?financial?support?and?academic?opportunity?to?them.?Katherine?knows?very?well?that?even?when?similar?in?quality，?private?universities?charge?much?more?tuition?fees?than?the?public?ones.?“The?annual?cost?of?education?at?the?University?of?Massachusetts?at?Amherst?is?about?$23，000?including?the?cost?of?housing.?At?Johns?Hopkins，?where?I?worked?before，?that?price?is?about?$62，000?a?year”.?Mainly?funded?by?state?purse，?public?universities?are?usually?more?affordable?for?students.

For?the?next?step，?UMass?Amherst?will?deepen?its?engagement?in?China.?What?Katherine?plans?for?most?is?the?opportunity?for?UMass?undergraduate?students?to?spend?time?studying?in?China，?either?in?Chinese?universities?or?in?cooperative?programs?that?link?instructors?from?some?of?the?best?universities?in?the?country?with?UMass?faculty?to?develop?courses?together，?which?will?enable?UMass?students?and?Chinese?students?to?study?together.??These?courses?could?be?on?Chinese?history，?the?built?environment，?agriculture，?science，?and?any?number?of?other?topics.?She?would?like?to?build?opportunities?to?bring?more?Chinese?students?to?UMass.??As?to?what?Katherine?introduced，?there?are?several?hundred?students?a?year?who?study?as?regular?residential?students?and?take?their?undergraduate?degrees?in?UMass?Amherst.??There?are??also?have?a?significant?number?of?Chinese?students?in?UMass?Amherst's?Masters?degree?programs，?especially?in?STEM?fields.?However，?Katherine?would?like?to?extend?this?paradigm?to?something?genuinely?new?and?innovative?that?might?enable?more?Chinese?Masters'?degree?students?who?cannot?afford?many?years?of?study?on?campus?in?America?to?join?for?advanced?degrees，?especially?in?Engineering，?Computer?Science，?Economics，?Education，?English?as?a?second?language，?etc.??These?visiting?students?might?be?able?to?come?to?America?for?a?summer?or??two，?and?in?the?year?in?between?they?can??take?courses?that?are?a?blend?of?online?education?（which?is?huge?in?the?US?and?on?UMass?Amherst?campus）?and?project?based?work?“on?the?ground”?in?their?home?communities?in?China.

Another?thing?Katherine?wants?to?pioneer?is?the?online?education?in?translation，?especially?in?Mandarin，?as?a?supplement?to?“face-to-face”?instruction?in?English.??UMass?Amherst?has?an?outstanding?Translation?Center?that?can?prepare?reading?materials?and?can?assist?with?simultaneous?translation.?This?would?open?up?more?advanced?degree?programs?to?Chinese?students?who?may?not?be?fluent?enough?in?English?to?take?an?entire?degree?or?those?who?lack?the?financial?resources?to?live?in?the?US?for?two?or?three?years.

“Two?Way?Street”?Effect：?Desire?to?Go?Back?and?Changing?Majors

As?a?renowned?scholar?of?sociology，?Katherine?has?her?own?observation?on?the?recent?upsurge?of?Chinese?students?studying?in?the?U.S.?from?the?sociological?point?of?view.

The?upsurge?of?Chinese?students?studying?in?the?U.S.?infuses?more?people?into?American?society.?They?share?the?education?while?bring?the?dynamics?to?the?American?labor?market.?Katherine?regards?it?as?a?“Two?Way?Street”，?which?mainly?shows?two?changes?of?aspects，?one?is?the?mobility?direction，?the?other?is?hot?subjects.

America?is?truly?a?nation?of?immigrants?where?all?of?these?kinds?of?students?come?and?add?to?the?cultural?vitality.?“Only?one?of?my?grandparents?was?born?in?the?United?States?and?I'm?the?norm?in?the?US.?My?husband?is?an?immigrant?and?hence?my?children?are?British-Americans.?”?Katherine?has?taught?students?born?and?raised?in?China，?students?who?came?to?the?US?when?they?were?young?and?hence?are?what?we?call?"1.5?generation"?immigrants，?and?students?of?Chinese?descent?who?were?born?and?raised?in?the?US?but?remain?attached?to?their?heritage.

"I?think?as?well?that?many?Chinese?students?hope?to?repeat?the?immigration?experience?that?my?own?family?had?because?they?want?to?seek?opportunities?in?our?labor?market.??But?much?of?this?is?changing?now.?"?China?is?pouring?money?into?state?of?the?art?scientific?laboratories，??for?example，?precisely?at?the?time?when?the?US?government?is?cutting?back.?China's?economic?growth?is?providing?opportunities?for?its?own?citizens?and?that?trajectory?encourages?many?high?skilled?professionals?to?stay?in?their?own?country?and?others?who?have?been?educated?in?the?US?to?return?to?China.?Indeed，?many?American?students?look?upon?China?as?a?new?land?of?opportunity?in?science，?finance，?and?education?and?are?moving?there?to?seek?their?fortunes.?This?is?one?reason?why?there?is?a?surge?in?demand?in?affluent?American?suburbs?for?Mandarin?to?be?taught?as?a?foreign?language?starting?in?elementary?school.??“One?of?my?younger?son's?best?friends?from?high?school?is?now?a?school?principal?in?Beijing.?Others?have?spent?years?teaching?English?in?China.?Faculty?I?have?known?from?my?previous?jobs?have?moved?to?China?to?continue?their?careers?in?these?fields.”

First?generation?Americans?of?Chinese?descent?has?often?been?raised?by?parents?who?also?had?to?work?very?hard?to?get?to?our?shores?and?hence?instilled?in?their?children?a?very?strong?work?ethic.?They?have?a?deserved?reputation?for?being?devoted?to?their?studies.?Often?a?pragmatic?orientation?guides?both?kinds?of?students?which?means?they?gravitate?toward?the?STEM?fields，?where?opportunities?are?abundant?in?the?US，?where?mathematical?skill?is?rewarded?and?language?skill?is?not?as?critical.?Second?generation?students?are?often?freer?to?explore?fields?like?drama，?history，?law，?and?the?arts?because?they?have?become?more?Americanized?and?affluent.?They?have?more?freedom，?from?an?economic?standpoint，?to?branch?out?into?fields?that?are?a?bit?riskier?and?perhaps?not?as?well?remunerated，?but?are?nonetheless?valued.?It?is?these?students?who?often?become?the?translators?of?the?Chinese?experience?through?plays?（e.g?David?Henry?Hwang）??the?history?of?immigration?（e.g?Mae?Ngai）?or?the?contemporary?sociological?situation?of?Chinese?communities?in?America?（Margaret?Chin）.?This?is?not?an?unusual?pattern?in?the?US.?We?see?it?in?immigrant?groups.

“So?we?are?seeing?a?'two?way?street'?now.?I?think?that's?a?very?healthy?development?for?international?understanding?and?economic?mobility.”

Q=Studying?Abroad

A=Katherine?S.?Newman

Q：?Whats?your?perspective?on?the?halo?of?top?universities?and?rankings？

A：?The?difficulties?involved?in?making?it?to?a?US?university?--?the?many?hours?of?studying，?the?costs?involved，?the?desires?of?Chinese?families?to?benefit?from?the?earning?power?of?foreign?trained?sons?and?daughters?--?are?so?significant?that?it?is?little?wonder?that?these?families?are?looking?to?derive?the?greatest?advantage?they?can?from?the?investment?in?higher?education.?They?are?also?far?away?from?the?US?when?they?make?decisions?about?where?to?go?to?university.??Rankings?are?a?kind?of?shorthand，?especially?for?people?who?don't?have?the?opportunity?to?visit?a?foreign?country?and?learn?about?the?thousands?of?academic?institutions?available?to?them.

Rankings?are?useful?signals?and，?as?a?result，?we?are?very?proud?of?how?the?ranking?of?UMass?Amherst?has?shot?up?in?recent?years.??Our?"uptick"?has?been?faster?than?almost?any?other?public?university?in?the?US.??That?helps?us?get?the?word?out?around?the?world?that?students?should?consider?UMass?Amherst?as?a?"destination?of?choice"?and?we?are?increasing?our?effort?to?let?students?in?China?know?about?what?a?great?education?they?can?get?here.?But?whether?we?are?the?institutional?beneficiaries?or?some?other?（competitor）?reaps?that?benefit，?we?encourage?students?in?China?to?learn?as?much?as?possible?about?the?wide?range?of?institutions?of?higher?learning?in?the?US.

Q：?Whats?your?definition?of?a?good?student？

A：?Good?students?are?those?with?a?passion?for?what?they?are?studying，?who?are?not?content?just?to?master?what?their?instructors?put?in?front?of?them，?but?who?are?driven?to?make?original?observations?and?offer?contrary?perspectives.??They?use?what?they?learn?to?take?the?inquiry?to?the?next?level.??American?students?who?are?exceptional?often?see?their?role?in?the?classroom?as?one?of?（respectfully）?challenging?their?teachers'?ideas，?rather?than?to?receive?them?in?a?passive?fashion.?We?reward?them?for?that?independence?of?thinking.??Good?students?are?fluent?writers，?persuasive?speakers，?deeply?knowledgeable?about?their?fields?of?expertise，?and?excited?to?go?beyond?the?assignment.?We?are?fortunate?to?have?thousands?of?excellent?students?at?UMass?Amherst?from?all?over?the?world?and?we?look?forward?to?their?accomplishments?both?when?they?are?with?us?and?when?they?graduate.

Q：?Whats?your?perspective?on?exams?and?scores？

A：?Test?scores?represent?one?kind?of?information?about?a?student's?qualifications，?but?they?are?not?very?nuanced.??They?can't?really?provide?information?about?a?student's?creativity，?or?persistence.?They?are?not?particularly?helpful?in?estimating?how?well?a?student?could?master?a?research?challenge?or?write?a?lengthy?and?complex?essay.??These?skills?really?matter?for?success?in?American?universities，?but?standardized?tests?are?only?approximations?of?them.?This?can?mean，?on?occasion，?that?a?student?whose?scores?make?them?look?very?promising，?struggle?when?they?actually?enroll?in?an?American-style?classes.

Q：?Business?and?STEM?majors?are?the?most?popular?majors?among?Chinese?students，?whereas?arts?and?humanities?are?not?as?popular.?Whats?your?view?on? this？

A：?It?is?easy?to?understand?how?prior?--?very?strong?--?preparation?in?scientific?fields?leads?many?of?our?Chinese?students?to?pursue?STEM?fields?and?that's?fine.?When?we?look?at?second?generation?immigrants?from?Chinese?backgrounds，?we?find?more?students?in?the?arts?and?humanities.?These?choices?reflect?sociological?processes?of?assimilation?and?mobility.

I?do?think?that?what?we?should?want?most?for?all?students?is?the?opportunity?to?pursue?what?genuinely?interests?them.???Fortunately，?our?educational?system?enables?students?to?try?out?different?directions?and?change?if?they?aren't?satisfied.??As?a?undergraduate，?I?was?a?philosophy?major，?then?added?on?sociology.?When?I?got?to?graduate?school，?I?completed?a?PhD?in?anthropology.??Then?I?taught?in?a?law?school.??I?am?not?a?"poster?child"?for?consistency！

Q：?Can?you?give?some?advice?to?Chinese?students?with?regard?to?choosing?a?major?that?best?fits?them？

A：?My?somewhat?restless?approach?is?still?visible?in?the?changing?topics?that?I?write?about.Unlike?many?other?scholars，?who?become?experts?in?one?topic?and?develop?deeper?and?deeper?levels?of?expertise?in?an?identifiable?subfield，?I?move?around?（even?if?there?are?some?common?themes）.??I?like?to?think?the?flexibility?of?my?American?education?prepared?me?to?think?in?"out?of?the?box"?ways?and?I?hope?others?will?have?that?latitude?as?well.?There?is?no?single?proper?path?and?that?is?one?of?the?great?virtues?of?American?education.