Blackstone’s Steve Schwarzman built a program to teach young leaders about China. It’s harder to get into than Harvard
Steve Schwarzman, CEO of Blackstone, founded the Schwarzman Scholars program to cultivate global young leaders with a deep understanding of China, modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship. Based at Tsinghua University, the program is highly selective, with an admissions rate lower than top universities like Harvard. Schwarzman emphasizes the importance of engagement with China amid rising geopolitical tensions, positioning the program as essential for future global leadership.
- ▪The Schwarzman Scholars program brings approximately 150 students annually from around the world to study at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
- ▪Each year, 40% of scholars are from the U.S., 20% from China, and 40% from other countries, with an admissions rate of 2.5% for non-Chinese applicants.
- ▪The program features a curriculum focused on leadership, global affairs, and China, with faculty from top institutions like Harvard, Stanford, and Sciences Po.
- ▪Schwarzman Scholars live and study at Schwarzman College, a dedicated campus within Tsinghua designed by architect Robert M. Stern.
- ▪Notable figures such as Yao Ming, Joe Tsai, and Yang Lan have participated in program events alongside Schwarzman.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Steve Schwarzman has spent his career on Wall Street—but he’s also been on a quieter quest on the other side of the globe, a decades-long journey to understanding China. Recommended Video That brought him, in late April, to the New Tsinghua Xuetan, the circular, brick-hued auditorium at Tsinghua University in Beijing, an architectural wonder that resembles a totem from another age. There, the CEO and Chairman of private equity colossus Blackstone was hosting some 1300 alums at the 10th reunion celebration for the Schwarzman Scholars program. Inspired by the Rhodes Scholar program, it’s a philanthropic initiative that brings students in their early-to-mid-20s, the best and brightest from across the globe, to spend a year immersed in understanding how China works and thinks.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Fortune.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from Fortune
