16 Chinese students arrive at U.

Jiang Lei and Liu Jianojiao are both exceptional students, having spent years studying hard and earning top grades at their schools.

And while it's not rare for exceptional students to find their ways to Penn, what is especially outstanding about these two is that along with 14 others from all across China, they were able to get student visas to the United States at a time when tightened national security has made those visas difficult to come by.

Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, legislators have been discussing various ways of restricting student visas, including a six-month moratorium proposed by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.). On Friday, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced legislation that would include new restrictions on issuing student visas, as well as measures for tracking students during their stay in the country.

But at the Graduate School of Education, there seems to be reason to hope that international students will be able to continue coming to study, learn from and contribute to universities in the United States.

Sixteen students gained visas last week from the American embassy in Beijing, traveling to the United States to take part in a program at the Language Education Division of GSE. According to Cheng Yan Davis, director of international programs at GSE, these account for the majority of the visas that have been granted since Sept. 11 by the embassy.

"It's incredible," Davis said. "Of 16 of them, everybody got visas."

The program was created in partnership with Pacific Century CyberWorks Limited, a Hong Kong-based company that provides phone and Internet access. Discussions for development began in 1998 when GSE Dean Susan Fuhrman and Davis met with PCCW Chairman and Chief Executive Richard Li, who was influential in the program's development.

Through this program, researchers at Penn hope to gain more knowledge about learning techniques used to improve language acquisition. PCCW will sponsor the students while they are in the United States and offer $20,000 scholarships to all the students upon their return to China.

The program was initially set to begin in September of this year, but in August the American embassy said it would not be granting the students visas at that time. After the Sept. 11 attacks raised further questions about students applying for visas, there was some concern for the program's future.

To help expedite the process, Davis traveled to Beijing early last month to meet with officials at the American embassy. She said the University's strong support for the program along with Penn's reputation made the program possible.

"I really think it's very important to work together as a group and make sure we really represent our University well," Davis said. "The University of Pennsylvania's reputation is very high in China."

Davis says she is hopeful that other international programs at Penn will be able to see similar success if they cooperate with the State Department.

After being granted student visas on Nov. 26, the 16 students packed their bags and boarded a plane for the U.S. two days later. After a brief orientation, classes began on Nov. 30.

In accordance with the embassy's stipulations, all the students agreed to complete the six-month program without transferring to another university and to return to China immediately once it finishes.

During their time here, the students will stay in International House and will have an opportunity to participate in different programs and activities around Philadelphia. They say they are excited about the opportunity.

"I hope I can improve my English and learn about American culture and history," Jiang said. "I have gained a lot of knowledge here."

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