On Saturday, January 16th, Western Kentucky University President Dr. Gary Ransdell welcomed nearly 100 guests to Beijing's Grand Hyatt for a luncheon.  Guests included WKU alumni, partners and current students who are studying in Tianjin as part of the Chinese Flagship program.  During the reception, Dr. Ransdell spoke about the University's commitment to expanding international programs, especially in China.  In addition, Amy Eckhardt, Director of the Chinese Flagship, gave the guests a brief introduction to WKU.  The highlight of the luncheon was the performances given by the WKU students, who not only gave speeches in fluent Chinese but also sang the Beijing 2008 Olympics theme song, "Beijing Welcomes You" – demonstrating unbelievable progress with the Chinese language in just four months!

To view an interview of WKU President Dr. Ransdell with Sina.Com, please click the following link: http://video.sina.com.cn/edu/news/2010-01-18/105312993.shtml.