Press Corner
Releases:
- UW-Eau Claire to Enter Exchange Program with Chinese Universities
- Leader Telegram Story - Cultural Exchange Revived
- Chinese Delegates Visit UW-Eau Claire
- Media Memo: Chinese Delegation Visiting Campus Nov. 28
UW-Eau Claire to Enter Exchange Program with Chinese Universities
RELEASED: July 2, 2007
EAU CLAIRE - The University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has been accepted into a prestigious international exchange program that will allow students from China to earn dual degrees from UW-Eau Claire and their home institution in China. Students enrolled in the China 1-2-1 Partnership Program - facilitated through the China Center for International Educational Exchange and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities - will spend a year at a Chinese university, study at UW-Eau Claire for two years and return to the institution in China for their final year, said Karl Markgraf, director of the Center for International Education at UW-Eau Claire. After completing all program requirements at both institutions, students will receive bachelor's degrees from UW-Eau Claire and the institution in China, he said.
"It's a wonderful program that brings American and Chinese universities together to help Chinese students better access higher education in the United States," Markgraf said, noting that it has been difficult for Chinese students to secure visas since 9-11.
China supports the program because it gives undergraduate students a meaningful international experience, proficiency in English and an opportunity to earn a degree from an American university without having to pay international student tuition for the full four years of their university education, Markgraf said. The program also is appealing to Chinese leaders because it provides relative certainty that the students will return to China, which is necessary for them to earn their degrees, he said.
UW-Eau Claire is seeking to expand its partnerships with higher education institutions throughout the world, said Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich. "International students enrich our campus community and give our faculty and students opportunities to make connections that can lead to research or artistic collaborations, faculty exchange programs or other experiences that will make our students and graduates more globally aware," Levin-Stankevich said.
Given China's growing importance to the world's economy, it's critical that the United States make meaningful connections there, Levin-Stankevich said, noting that the China 1-2-1 program is one way higher education institutions can contribute to that effort.
"The possibilities of working with China are endless," Levin-Stankevich said. "We hope to eventually have faculty and staff exchanges with Chinese universities. There are lots of opportunities and this is an excellent way to establish the connections we need to make the most of those opportunities."
As part of the China 1-2-1 program, UW-Eau Claire will sign agreements with one or more partner universities in China, Markgraf said, noting that the partner institutions must have programs that are a good fit with those offered at UW-Eau Claire. Exchange students must major in areas of study that are approved by UW-Eau Claire and their home institutions, he said. While the specific majors still are being identified, they likely will include programs in the arts, mathematics, computer science, the sciences, economics and political science, he said.
"We will select the majors carefully because we want to make sure the students can complete all the requirements during their two years here and two years in China," Markgraf said. "We must maintain the quality of our academic programs because these students will receive degrees from UW-Eau Claire."
The first Chinese exchange students are expected to arrive at UW-Eau Claire in fall 2008, Markgraf said. He expects five to 10 Chinese exchange students to attend UW-Eau Claire the first year, but up to 25 students in future years.
Approximately 35 U.S. colleges and universities are part of the program.
"It's been very successful in terms of degree completion and rate of return of the Chinese students to their home country," Markgraf said of the program. "That is a key component for both participating nations, as the U.S. is concerned about immigration, and China is concerned about emigration of its highly educated citizens. We're very happy that we've been selected to participate and are looking forward to working with several new partner institutions from China to develop this cooperation further. The long-term benefits and possibilities for UW-Eau Claire are exciting."
Leader Telegram Story - Cultural Exchange Revived
RELEASED: July 12, 2007
Chinese students to study at UW-Eau Claire in fall 2008
Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the United States cut back the number of visas it granted to foreign students wishing to study at U.S. universities.
Several would-be scholars from outside the United States were forced to rethink their educational plans and enroll at colleges in their native countries.
Officials at educational institutions in the nation and abroad worried about the policy change, said Karl Markgraf, director of the Center for International Education at UW-Eau Claire. Both U.S. and foreign students are missing out on valuable opportunities to learn more about other cultures, he said.
UW-Eau Claire will become one of about 35 U.S. colleges to offer Chinese students easy access to an American education. Starting in fall 2008, students from 16 Chinese universities will have the opportunity to spend two years at UW-Eau Claire. When those scholars graduate from their home universities, they also will receive an Eau Claire diploma.
"This program meets China's interest in students learning more and returning home with that knowledge," Markgraf said, "and it meets America's interest in having international students on our campuses."
The Chinese students will spend a year at their home university, study at Eau Claire for two years, then return to China to complete their senior year. The program is a collaboration among the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the China Center for International Educational Exchange and the U.S. Department of State.
Chinese students coming to UW-Eau Claire will be able to major in computer science, information systems, physics, mathematics, chemistry or kinesiology.
"I think it's always good to have students from outside our educational system in our classes..." said Scott Hartsel, chairman of the UW-Eau Claire chemistry department. "We learn something from them. They learn something from us."
Five to 10 Chinese students are expected to come to UW-Eau Claire in 2008, but more students likely will enroll in the program in the future. UW-Eau Claire students cannot study in China through the initiative.
Chinese Delegates Visit UW-Eau Claire
Delegates from several Chinese universities visited UW-Eau Claire Nov. 28 to learn about the university and its academic programs. The visit followed UW-Eau Claire's recent acceptance into the prestigious China 1-2-1 Partnership Program, which will allow Chinese students to earn dual degrees from UW-Eau Claire and their home institutions in China. More information. See several photos from the visit below.
Dr. Huamin Liu, vice president of Changshu Institute of Technology, talked during a breakfast reception with Dr. Larry Solberg, associate dean in UW-Eau Claire's College of Education and Human Sciences.
Chancellor Brian Levin-Stankevich accepted gifts from, left, Zaofeng Wu, deputy secretary-general of the China Education Association for International Exchange, and, right, Jianning Hua, chief manager of the Sino-American Cooperation and Exchange Office of the China Center for International Educational Exchange. Below, Dr. Thomas Hilton, UW-Eau Claire professor and chair of the information systems department, visited with members of the Chinese delegation in the new Cargill Collaboration Center in Schneider Hall.
Media Memo: Chinese Delegation Visiting Campus Nov. 28
RELEASED: Nov. 27, 2007
Delegates from several Chinese universities will visit UW-Eau Claire Nov. 28 to learn about the university and its academic programs.
UW-Eau Claire was accepted into the prestigious China 1-2-1 Partnership Program, a program that will allow Chinese students to earn dual degrees from UW-Eau Claire and their home institution in China.
In June, UW-Eau Claire representatives signed agreements with 16 Chinese universities that will begin sending students to UW-Eau Claire in fall 2008. The delegates visiting campus this week represent many of those universities.
Students in the program will spend a year at a Chinese university, study at UW-Eau Claire for two years and return to China for one year. They must complete requirements at both institutions to receive bachelor's degrees from the two schools.
Students must major in areas of study approved by UW-Eau Claire and their home institution. To-date, approved majors are computer science, information systems, physics, mathematics, chemistry or kinesiology. More majors may be added later.
The visiting delegation includes 11 representatives of Inner Mongolia University, Zhengzhou Institute of Light Technology, Henan Polytechnic University, Changshu Institute of Technology, Nanyang Normal University, China Education Association for International Exchange and the China Center for International Educational Exchange.
The delegates' Nov. 28 schedule includes:
- Reception hosted by Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Steven Tallant, 7:30-9 a.m. in the Dulany, Davies Center.
- Tour of information systems labs, Davies Center and various departments, 9-11 a.m.
- China Center for International Educational Exchange presentation on the 1-2-1 program, 11 a.m.-noon, Eagle Room, Davies Center.
- Luncheon with chairs of the departments offering majors through the program, noon-1:30 p.m., Dulany, Davies Center.
- Tour of upper campus, 1:30-3 p.m.
The China 1-2-1 program is facilitated through the China Center for International Educational Exchange and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities in collaboration with the U.S. State Department.
For details about the program and/or Wednesday's visit, contact Shu-Chuan Cheng, the Chinese programs coordinator for the Center for International Education, at 715-836-3957 or chengshu@uwec.edu.
