A delegation of over 100 Yale University alumni, family and friends will visit Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Hong Kong in July to share best practices in alumni relations with Chinese universities and explore opportunities for alumni collaborations among the leading universities of China.

On July 20, the delegation will begin its program in China by hosting the World Alumni Leadership Conference in Beijing where they will discuss ideas ranging from how to create and sustain alumni organizations to how universities can support entrepreneurs and innovative business.

Peking University is the Beijing representative for the effort. The Ministry of Education has expressed their support for this initiative.

Universities in China have gained the respect of the world through their recent growth and success in research and other areas.

Strong, internationally competitive universities are essential for innovation and growth. In an increasingly complex global economy however universities can no longer rely solely on government support and tuition to remain competitive.

Following the U.S. model, world leading universities will increasingly need to develop resources from alumni and other private sources of support.

In 2008 the Association of Yale Alumni piloted a program – the Yale Global Alumni Leadership Exchange (YaleGALE) with the Australian National University (ANU) to address the needs of universities to engage their alumni and create relationships with alumni of other universities.

More than 50 Yale alumni and staff traveled to Canberra for a week of fellowship, cultural exchange, and, most importantly, the sharing of best practices in alumni relations with the alumni and staff of ANU.

Similar exchanges have since taken place between Yale, the University of Tokyo, Cambridge and many universities in Turkey.