Find out at a Half-Day Conference to be held at Reinhardt University on April 5, 2013

Almost every day in a newspaper, on the Internet, or watching television, we encounter China. How important is China economically and politically? Will China continue to grow in importance?  What do we need to know about China to be prepared for the future?

Community members, business owners and political leaders are invited to “China Rising?,” a half-day conference exploring the China of today and tomorrow, at Reinhardt University in Waleska, Ga., on Friday, April 5, 2013. The morning lectures will be held in the Bannister Glass House, Hasty Student Life Center, and are open to the public free of charge.  The concluding panel discussion and luncheon will be in the W. Frank and Evelyn J. Gordy Center, and the first 50 registrants will get a free lunch.

Dr. Curtis G. Lindquist, professor of religion and philosophy at Reinhardt, has spearheaded the event, and he invited the featured speakers — Dr. John W. Garver, a professor with the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and  Dr. Penny Prime, a professor with the J. Mack Robinson College of Business at Georgia State University and the director of the China Research Center — because of their expertise in Chinese economic and political life and their decades of first-hand experience in and intensive academic study of China.

“Dr. Penny Prime is a recognized expert on China’s developing economy,” Lindquist said. “She has worked extensively with companies seeking to develop business ties with China. Dr. John Garver is a seasoned political observer and analyst of China’s political life. His more recent interests involve writing and speaking about China in its regional Asian setting.”

Dr. John Garver

Garver has written nine books and more than 100 articles and monographs dealing with Chinese  foreign relations. He has served on the editorial boards of the several journals related to China and is a member of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.  He has directed several university study programs in China and has conducted formal research in a number of Asian countries.  He has received grants from the Fulbright Foundation, the U.S. National Academy of Science, the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. Institute for Pakistan Studies.  Garver has a Ph.D. and M.S. in political science from the University of Colorado and a B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Psychology from Oklahoma State University. He has lived in China, traveled widely throughout Eurasia, is fluent in Chinese and has taught that language to his two children.  

Dr. Penny Prime

Prime has focused her teaching and research on the development of emerging markets, with a particular emphasis on China’s economy and business environment. Her most recent books are “Global Giant: Is China Changing the Rules of the Game?” (co-edited with Eva Paus and Jon Western, Palgrave McMillan, 2009) and “Taiwan’s Democracy: Economic and Political Challenges,” (co-edited with Robert Ash and John W. Garver, Routledge, 2011).
Her experience includes directing study abroad programs; conducting field research in China, Taiwan and Hong Kong; analyzing China’s economy for the Center for International Research at the U.S. Bureau of the Census from 1991-1998; and working with companies on China strategy, business environment, negotiations and cultural understanding.

Prime is also the founder and director of the China Research Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to research and education about contemporary China. Before joining the GSU faculty, Dr. Prime taught at Mercer University, Kennesaw State University, and Carleton College. She earned her Ph.D., and M.A. in Economics at the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Chinese Studies at the University of Denver.

The Year of Program at Reinhardt University

Through the “Year of” program, Reinhardt students, faculty and staff explore a specific region of the world each year.  During the 2012-13 year, the emphasis has been on China.  The Year of program began in 2003.