The China Connection

Former Republican Missouri Senator Kit Bond will lead a delegation of St. Louis-area business leaders to China later this year.

Bond's consulting firm that works on international trade will accompany regional and statewide businesses and academic institutions to China in December.

Barbara Leonhard, 60, is an instructor in the Intensive English Program and English-language Support Program at MU. In fall of 2008, she met her Chinese student Brandon Du, who practices Tai Chi. Because of their common interests in Tai Chi, they spent a lot of time together. In 2009, Leonhard visited China after being invited by Du’s family.

Jane O’Toole plays more roles in her life than most people around you.

She’s the founder of Xiao Lao Hu (Little Tiger) pre-school; she’s an instructor at the MU Asian Affairs Center; she’s the vice president of Columbia Friends of China; she’s the mom of three kids; she’s also a super Chinese culture fan in her friends’ eyes. In her own words, her life revolves around her passion for China.

In China, the United States is widely regarded as the best place to send students who want a quality education. KBIA surveyed MU students who came from China to the United States so that they could attend college at the University of Missouri. They were asked about the difficulty of the application process, what they like and dislike about the university and what they plan to do after they graduate. It was found that almost half of the students came to MU through an agency to help them with the college application process.

In 2005, Columbia stockbroker Alex LaBrunerie placed a very long-distance cold call.

MU’s branch of the Confucius Institute has signed a one-year deal with the North Callaway School district in Kingdom city, Missouri to introduce Kindergarten through 8th grade students to Chinese culture and language.

This week, Columbia College broke ground on a new science building. MU’s Confucius Institute is partnering with a program in the North Callaway school district. Plus, we’ll take you along with a trip through the ‘Mizzou Adventures in Education’ event.