YaleGALE in China 2011

Ni hao (Hello) Yale Alumni Leader:

Would you like to make a difference? As an alumni leader, would you like to use your great talent and experience in alumni affairs to change the world? And at the same time be hosted by the leading universities in China, welcomed by faculty, staff and alumni eager to learn of Yale's model for alumni relations?

It is well known that President Levin has placed China front and center in his strategic plan for the internationalization of Yale. In 2007 a Yale delegation of 100 students, faculty and staff visited China to further the many partnerships we now enjoy with Chinese universities and other institutions.

It is now our turn - as alumni to send our own delegation of volunteer ambassadors to build new bridges of cultural awareness, university partnership, and alumni friendship.

This summer you have the opportunity to use your gifts of time and talent in this extraordinary university outreach and cultural exchange opportunity - an innovative alumni initiative in which you learn by teaching. You will see China as no tourist possibly could, because as an official delegate of Yale you will be given remarkable inside glimpses to Chinese culture through the eyes of our university hosts.

Our Yale Global Alumni Leadership Exchange (YaleGALE) program is planned for July 17 - July 31, 2011. The details of our program are not finalized yet but we have been invited by the University of Peking, Tsing Hua, Fudan and New Asia College (CUHK) for a sharing of best practices and cultural exchange with their alumni. This will be a remarkable occasion for us, not only to discuss how and why we engage as Yale volunteer leaders, but also to learn about China and the Chinese culture.

Our tentative itinerary includes a five night stay in Beijing, a special train ride overnight to Xi'an, one night in Xi'an as a retreat, four nights in Shanghai and two nights in Hong Kong. While working with Chinese universities, we will also see the fascinating sites of the country such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, the Terra Cotta soldiers in Xi'an, Yu Yu'an Gardens in Shanghai and many other sites.

As you can see, we will be in for quite the adventure!

Once again, we will discuss the benefits and the possibilities for broader alumni initiatives with partnering institutions. Building on the success of the World Alumni Leadership Conference that YaleGALE organized in Istanbul this past summer, we will start our university engagement with the second World Alumni Leadership Conference in Beijing on July 20. Peking University is co-hosting the Conference and RedLeaf Group is our sponsor. The Conference will be at the Grand Millennium hotel. You will have the opportunity to lead a workshop on your area of alumni relations experience and if you have volunteered for Yale, you may be asked to sit on a panel with fellow Yale alumni or participate in other ways to share your experiences of volunteering at Yale - experiences such as reunions, class dinners, mini-reunions, club activities, AYA assemblies, AYA board meetings, Alumni Fund programs, shared interest group activities - any and all such ways you have contributed your time and talent. As a new initiative, we will have a YaleGALE Alumni Update and Training Session in New Haven on Saturday, April 16 specially designed for our delegation to China.

Because of the affordability of this program and its remarkable opportunities, you may want to bring spouses, significant others, and children - all are invited. We will be making this a spouse, significant other, and children friendly experience! There is also a special opportunity to participate in the Yale Alumni Service Corps program in Xiuning in Anhui Province for the week before the YaleGALE program. Visit their website http://www.yaleservicetours.org/currtour/china11 for details.

In this alumni exchange we have the opportunity to transform the scope and breadth of alumni collaborations, and to share our gifts with the rest of the world. Please consider joining us - and helping us lead - this historic exchange.