Arcadia University is sponsoring the first annual International Conference on Global Advancement of Private Universities and Colleges (GAPUC). The conference, to be held in Xi’an, China, from May 27-29, is co-sponsored by Xi’an International University and Peking University. Dr. Steve Michael, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, is one of the conference co-founders and a conference chair. Michael and Dr. Nikki Christensen, Vice President, The College of Global Studies at Arcadia University, are scheduled presenters.

Michael’s presentation will explore environmental conduciveness for private higher education institutions, examining the growing importance of higher education, the increasing privatization of higher education and the implications of globalization. He also will address environmental factors that could help or hinder private higher education’s growth and conclude with global responses and recommendations.

Christensen will speak on “Advancing Global Education through a Network of Private Colleges and Universities: The College of Global Studies’ Model.” She will discuss the College of Global Studies’ model and explore ways that higher education institutions, especially private institutions that may be resource-challenge, can expand global education opportunities to their students.

Forty-nine presentations on private higher education issues are scheduled over three days. Presenters and attendees are expected from private universities around the world, including the United States, France, Russia, Romania, Singapore, the Philippines and China. Local presenters include Elizabeth Moy, Executive Director of Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortia for Higher Education (SEPCHE), and faculty members from Holy Family University in Philadelphia.

The conference will take place at Xi’an International University in the city of Xi’an, which is the capital of the Shaanxi province and has more than 3,100 years of history including over 1,100 years as the capital city of ancient dynasties. Xi’an also is the eastern terminus of the Silk Road and home to the Terracotta Warrior Army.

Since the 1990s, as part of the economic revival of China, Xi’an has re-emerged as an important cultural, industrial and educational center of the central-northwest region, with facilities for research and development, national security and China’s space exploration program.