The University signed an agreement with the Chinese Language Council International (Hanban) to establish a Confucius Institute to promote Chinese language education and cultural exchange. The objectives of the Confucius Institute include teaching Chinese language and culture courses, training Chinese language teachers, administering Chinese proficiency tests, and providing resources for learning Mandarin Chinese. Chinese is now the second most widely taught foreign language worldwide, with over 300 Confucius Institutes teaching Mandarin around the globe.