X

Internet freedom for some Chinese students

Candace Lombardi
In a software-driven world, it's easy to forget about the nuts and bolts. Whether it's cars, robots, personal gadgetry or industrial machines, Candace Lombardi examines the moving parts that keep our world rotating. A journalist who divides her time between the United States and the United Kingdom, Lombardi has written about technology for the sites of The New York Times, CNET, USA Today, MSN, ZDNet, Silicon.com, and GameSpot. She is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not a current employee of CNET.
See full bio
Candace Lombardi

Some Chinese college students will now have completely unfettered access to the World Wide Web.

Kean University, New Jersey's third-largest public university, announced on Tuesday an agreement with the Chinese government to open a college in Zhejiang, China, the Newark-based Star-Ledger has reported.

As part of the agreement, all campus computers will have access to U.S. servers free from the restrictions of Chinese censorship. This will be done by granting Chinese students logins and passwords to the university's U.S. Web site.

Kean University China classes will be administered in English by Kean-supplied professors using U.S. textbooks and curriculum. Facilities are set to open in 2007, with a full U.S.-style college to be completed by 2010. Kean University China students will be charged New Jersey out-of-state tuition: about $9,656.

Former Gov. James E. McGreevey, who is credited with facilitating the deal, and Chairman Xi Jinping of Zhejiang were present at the Kean University announcement in New Jersey.

This will be the first U.S. college to open in communist China.