To the Editor:

Fiona Baker's suggestion that American faculty members need to accommodate the influx of Chinese students by internationalizing curricula and thereby broadening the meaning of an American education makes sense ("China Conundrum Can Be a Benefit," The Chronicle, December 11).

As an American living and teaching in Beijing, however, I don't think it's the right way to go.

Chinese students want an American education because the American university system is the best in the world. Just as diners at a top-notch restaurant don't want the establishment to modify its menu to satisfy the diners' traditional palates, Chinese students don't want American universities Sinified. Chinese students appreciate that U.S. educators can bring to their lives unique experiences and perspectives and perhaps challenge them to think in unaccustomed ways.

Patrick Mattimore
Beijing

The writer is an adjunct professor of law teaching in a program sponsored by Temple and Tsinghua Universities.