Join ADJ-252 for Guest Speaker on China’s Influence on American Higher Ed., Tonight at 6

Please join Professor Robert Anderson’s ADJ-252 (Counterintelligence for Law Enforcement) class for a pivotal and thought-provoking discussion on China’s influence on higher education in America, with Heritage Research Fellow Michael Cunningham! 

The relationship between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China is one framed by strategic competition, making China a frequent topic of conversation in policy and academic circles.

For example, the National Security Institute at George Mason University notes “The People’s Republic of China…, has sought to take advantage of the openness of [American universities] to advance its own economy, scientific achievement, military prowess and international standing, often through improper means.”

So what does China’s influence on American postsecondary education mean? 
Michael Cunningham has some answers. A Research Fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Asian Studies Center, Cunningham focuses his research on China’s domestic politics and foreign policy. He also writes on human rights, as well as the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) efforts to sway American society, including universities as well as state and local governments.  

Prior to relocating to Washington, D.C. in 2021, Cunningham spent over a decade in the Greater China region, where he advised multinational businesses on the political, operational, and security risks associated with their business activities in China and Northeast Asia. Highlights of this work include on-the-ground reporting of the unrest and political crisis in Hong Kong in 2019. His work also highlighted that in early 2020 he assisted a large U.S. tech firm’s Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore, managing an ad hoc crisis response center following the initial COVID-19 outbreak. His career also includes work as a language analyst for the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Mr. Cunningham has a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University in international relations and a master’s in International Affairs from American University. He is fluent in Mandarin, Chinese and Portuguese.  

Counterintelligence Concepts for Law Enforcement and National Security 
Time: Tonight, 6 p.m.
Meeting ID: 867 7551 6415 
Passcode: 837855 

Submitted by:
Robert Anderson, AN-MSTB, RPAnderson@nvcc.edu