Robert Li, in his Wednesday column (“Where’s the exchange?”), asked about the Peking University-Yale University Joint Undergraduate Program in Beijing. He described the program as a one-way street, with the conspicuous absence of PKU (Beida) students at Yale. If Li had spent a summer on campus here in New Haven in the past four years, he would have been able to interact with many PKU students. As part of an official Yale College program, regular PKU students come to New Haven during the summer to take Yale courses, interact with Yale students and live in Yale’s residential colleges.

In the past four years we have had over 100 students from PKU on our campus as a result of this program, which is very competitive, with many more students from PKU wanting to attend than can be admitted. It is also important to mention that equal numbers of students attend Yale Summer Session from Fudan University in Shanghai, and this summer for the first time, students from Tsinghua University in Beijing will attend too. I invite Li to join us this summer to become part of this lively group of scholars from all over the world.

William Whobrey

April 22

The writer is an assistant dean of Yale College and the dean of the Yale Summer Session and Special Programs.