She said Suhan is no longer at the Mansfield Center but remains at UM to close out the Confucius Institute. Suhan could not be reached Tuesday.

Mansour noted the Office of the Provost and Office of the President had been involved in the decision. UM has stressed it provides a global education, and Montana has historic ties to Asia through the late Sen. Mike Mansfield; former U.S. Ambassador to China and former U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, and other diplomatic and trade relations.

UM spokeswoman Paula Short said the campus remains committed to “providing Montanans with exposure to world cultures and languages.”

“We continue to reimagine our approach to delivering language through the lens of culture,” Short said in a statement.

However, Mansour said money from the Confucius Institute was designated for specific purposes, and different sources of money would allow more flexibility.

Last year, the Mansfield Center estimated the Chinese government funded about $150,000 of its $5 million budget.