On Sept. 6, educational experts from Shanghai Municipal Educational Commission (SMEC) visited NYU Shanghai for an assessment of the school’s progress and accomplishment. The assessment comes at the end of our first 4-year development and the beginning of a new cycle. Rumors abounded prior to the visit that the government had planned to cut NYU Shanghai’s funding, or even worse, completely close down the school, and that the assessment was nothing more than a procedural formality. I was invited as one of the fourteen Chinese students attending the roundtable discussion with three SMEC experts. We were told to express genuine opinions on the development of the community, be it positive or negative, with the only caveat that students needed to present challenges with concrete measures that the school has been implementing to address the issues. This made sense. It wasn’t a wish-list type of meeting. The encounter wasn’t as intimidating as some might have anticipated, and as far as I was concerned, the experts certainly didn’t seem too critical or doubtful about where the school was heading. Most questions were easily anticipated like, “where do you see yourself after graduating from NYU Shanghai” or “what is special about NYU Shanghai compared to other top-notch universities in China?”. Our responses were honest and reflective of the unique experiences and passion that only NYU Shanghai students could identify with. Some questions though, were more stringent and provocative. One of the experts from the finance division of the government asked if the school should raise the tuition considering how large the government’s endowment has been for the past three years for such a small school in perhaps the most expensive area in Shanghai. It triggered a fifteen minute debate about NYU Shanghai’s inherent identity. As a degree-granting campus of an American university of global influence, NYU Shanghai represents a more financially feasible opportunity for many Chinese students who aspire to receive an American college education but are daunted by the soaring tuition of universities in the U.S. However, spending 100,000RMB (around $15,000) on college education yearly is still an unbearable financial burden for many Chinese families. Questions regarding tuition or financial aid are generally considered sensitive and rarely discussed formal occasions. A tuition-related inquiry from a government representative at such an important meeting could potentially leave a profound impact on the future of our school. Our answers were divided. One side believed that given the fact that NYU Shanghai admits the very best students from around the world and its investments – both tangible and intangible – on these students are enormous, it is within reason that the school raises the tuition to a level that can better reflect the quality education that it offers. The other side, however, argued that the best schools in China are those that receive the most funding from the government, such as Peking University and Tsinghua University. In that vein, NYU Shanghai as a pioneering community that represents a new model of higher education, deserves an equitable amount of financial support from the government, and therefore should not increase the tuition fees. Despite the divergence, everyone seemed to agree that regardless of the tuition level, an adequate amount of scholarship and financial aid needs to be in place to fulfill the promise that no student will be left behind because of financial adversities. At the end of meeting, the SMEC experts applauded us for being devoted, sincere and confident. The vibe was casual and friendly. Chenghao (Clarence) Li (19’) commented, “I felt that the experts were greatly impressed by the confidence, passion and knowledge of our students and they did show a great interest in our school and its future development.” Che (Watcher) Wang (17’) believed that the meeting should have been a bit longer because “it would be unwise to decide a multi-million RMB investment based on a thirty minute meeting with a small group of students.” Nevertheless, he conceded that the pride that participants demonstrated in the NYU Shanghai community was something that the experts “picked up on and paid attention to during the discussion, which might have a positive impact on the very short assessment.” The SMEC delegation may have come to NYU Shanghai with obscure intentions, and yet the fate of our community is by no means only in the hands of a select few experts; rather, it will always be determined by its members. Now with four classes and over one hundred study-away students present on campus, NYU Shanghai is at a critical juncture of change and evolution. As crucial as government endorsement may continue to be in the future, the real generator of continuing success will always be a robustly diverse student body, a team of responsible staff and dedicated faculty members. With the first class graduating in May, the school is inevitably going to be closely scrutinized by all its shareholders. That is the real test. This article was written by Richard Zhao. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: China Daily