All of the Confucius Institutes on State University of New York (SUNY) campuses are now closed.
The University at Albany closed down the educational and cultural program sponsored by the Chinese government in December 2021. Nassau Community College, Stony Brook University, SUNY College of Optometry, Binghamton University, and the University at Buffalo all closed the Confucius Institutes on their campuses in 2021 as well, according to Albany Times-Union.
These closures come in the wake of bipartisan criticism from Congress. Lawmakers criticized the programs for their partial funding by the Chinese government, calling them propaganda outlets. Still, the programs were attractive in their heyday to educational institutions short on funds.
The former directors of Confucius Institutes in New York did not provide any statements to Albany Times-Union regarding this matter. SUNY schools have stated Chinese cultural programming will continue, just not through the Institute’s specific programs.
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