Recruiting Returnees: A Study of Chinese University Presidents’ Perceptions of Foreign-Educated Returnees at Chinese Universities

This study adopted a qualitative approach to examine Chinese university presidents’ perceptions on the recruitment of foreign educated returnees and on their performance at Chinese universities. Twenty university presidents participated in the semi-structured interviews in from 2013 to 2015. The study found that all the participants held highly positive views about the quality and performance of the returnees in their universities. In their perceptions, most returnees met the universities’ expectations and had made great contribution to the university, such as introducing new programmes, new ideas, new skills, and new courses, new methods, upgrading the academic programmes, raising the quality of research, internationalising the university’s programmes, and connecting with foreign universities.  At the same time, the participants believed that some returnees had difficulties adapting to the Chinese educational environment.