MURFREESBORO (AP) — Middle Tennessee State University President Sidney McPhee was recently honored in Beijing.

Over the weekend he was awarded "Person of the Year" honors at the eighth annual Global Confucius Institute Conference in recognition of the university's work to strengthen educational and cultural ties between China and the U.S.

The institute, named after the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius, is sponsored by China's Education Ministry to promote Chinese language and culture. It also organizes cultural tours, student exchanges and university partnerships.

MTSU joined with China's Hangzhou Normal University to open its institute in 2010. The institute has helped teach Chinese language and culture to more than 2,000 students in seven Tennessee counties.