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BY COURTNEY CONDRON

Libby Allen, accounting senior, will study in China for 10 months next year after receiving the Chinese Government Scholarship. Her goal is to obtain a level of knowledge in the Chinese language that will allow her to use it professionally with her business degree.

The University of Kansas was chosen by the China Scholarship Council (CSC) to nominate one student to receive the scholarship which allows the student to study Chinese language and culture in China. The scholarship covers Allen's tuition, room and board and a small living stipend.

"It is clearly a generous and highly competitive scholarship," Tailan Chi, KU business professor, said.

Allen does not know at which university she will be placed yet, but was able to list her top three. There were 94 Chinese universities from which to choose.

"In the beginning I enrolled in Chinese because I felt it would add strength to distinguish me in the competitive job market," Allen said. "As it turns out, I love the language and am fascinated by the culture."

Chi described Allen as someone curious about the world and eager to explore what it had to offer.

"She obviously is willing to make a major investment in a set of skills that will truly distinguish her in the face of an increasingly globalized business world," Chi said.

This isn't the first time Allen will be visiting Asia. In the summer of 2006, a KU professor gave her the opportunity to work with his colleagues in Taiwan, where she worked with Taiwanese students who were studying a typhoon's destruction of the rainforest. Also, in the summer of 2007, Allen attended a highly intensive language program through Princeton University in Beijing, China. Students were prohibited to speak English.

"I would encourage everyone at least once in their lifetime to spend time in Asia," Allen said. "It is very different from vacationing in Europe and will truly change your perspective on our world."

Allen said she hopes to improve her Chinese by being active in organizations and making new, non-English speaking friends.

"I'm very thankful to my professors at KU who have allowed me to participate in such a great opportunity. Of course I'm also extremely excited!" Allen said. "However, I must focus on accounting and my business degree for the next five months."

To find out more about the Chinese Government Scholarship go to http://www.ceas.ku.edu/academics/china-scholarship.shtml