The modern university was born in Germany. In the 20th century, the U.S. leapfrogged Germany to become the global leader in higher education. Will China challenge its position in the 21st century? William Kirby will examine the successes of leading universities in the three countries and their threats and challenges. This talk is based on his new book “Empires of Ideas,” which looks to the past 200 years for answers, chronicling two revolutions in higher education: the birth of the research university and its integration with the liberal education model. Kirby is the 2022 presenter of the So Kwan Lok Distinguished Lecture, a series established by the 21st Century China Center to honor its founding member, board adviser and long-time supporter So Kwan Lok (Kwan So). 

Speaker:

• William C. Kirby, Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration, T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies, Harvard University 

 Moderator:

• Barry Naughton, So Kwan Lok Professor of Chinese International Affairs , UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy

Bio:

William C. Kirby is T.M. Chang Professor of China Studies at Harvard University and Spangler Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School. He is a University Distinguished Service Professor. Professor Kirby serves as Chairman of the Harvard China Fund and Faculty Chair of the Harvard Center Shanghai. At Harvard, he has served as director of the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, chair of the History Department and dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. His current projects include case studies of trend-setting Chinese businesses and a comparative study of higher education in China, Europe and the U.S. His recent books include “Can China Lead?” (Harvard Business Review Press) and “China and Europe on the New Silk Road” (Oxford University Press). His latest book is “Empires of Ideas: Creating Modern Universities from Germany to America to China” (Harvard University Press).