CONWAY, Ark. (May 13, 2013) – Hendrix College and its academic consortium the
Associated Colleges of the South (ACS) were recognized recently for fostering healthy,
creative collaborations in higher education between the United States and China.
Hendrix religious studies professor Dr. Jay McDaniel accepted the honor on behalf
of Hendrix and ACS at the 7th Annual Ecological Civilization Conference this spring
in Claremont, Calif. The conference, in its seventh year, is sponsored by the China
Project of the Center for Process Studies and the Central Bureau of Translation
of the Chinese government.
“Ecological civilization” is a term used by the Chinese Communist Party and a
goal of the party’s constitution. Ecological Civilization International (ECI) is
a collaborative effort between institutions in the U.S. and China. It provides a
context in which to discuss ecological economics, ecological agriculture, ecological
urbanization, ecological spirituality, etc.
ECI’s American headquarters is located at Hendrix and directed by Dr. McDaniel
on behalf of the ACS and Claremont Lincoln University. The Chinese headquarters
of ECI is Beijing International Culture Studies University and directed by Fubin
Yang in cooperation with Sheri Liao of Global Village Beijing.
McDaniel sees this creative collaboration with China in a large historical context
“The future of liberal arts education is globally networked learning with help
from digital technologies,” he said. “The need, both in the United States and in
China, is to build communities that are creative, compassionate, participatory,
ecologically wise, and spiritually satisfying with no one left behind. The aim of
ECI is to help Chinese and Americans work together to build these kinds of communities.
“We are grateful to our partners in Beijing and to the Associated Colleges of
the South for providing a context for this kind of work,” he added. “Perhaps, in
our way, we can help people on both sides of the ocean to realize their hopes for
a just and sustainable future.”
Founded in 1876, Hendrix College is a national leader in engaged liberal arts
and sciences education. For the fifth consecutive year, Hendrix was named one of
the country’s “Up and Coming” liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report.
Hendrix is featured in the 2012 edition of the Princeton Review as one of the country’s
best 377 colleges, the latest edition of Colleges That Change Lives: 40 Schools
That Will Change the Way You Think about Colleges, Forbes magazine's annual list
of America's Top 650 Colleges, and the 2013 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges.
Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more
information, visit www.hendrix.edu.