SU signs partnership with Guizhou University in China
The partnership could mean as many as 150 students from Guizhou will be attending Southern for the fall 2011 semester, officials with both universities said.
"This is just a starting point for us," Madam Long Chaoyun, a member of the Guizhou Continuing Professional Development Committee, said through an interpreter after signing the memorandum of understanding. "This is a kick off of great importance to us. . .This is a cherished relationship."
The agreement, signed November 1, provides:
- A post doctorate exchange fellow(s) in the area of biology funded by the China Ministry of Science and Technology
- Guizhou University will offer Confucius Institute Scholarships each year for two Southern students in Chinese Language Study for one year. The plan will launch in the spring of 2011. The scholarship includes tuition, accommodation, insurance, monthly stipends and a settlement allowance.
Executive Vice Chancellor Mwalimu Shujaa told the Chinese delegation that Southern is honored to enter into the agreement with Guizhou. The opportunities for student exchanges and research will be invaluable, he said.
Student exchanges between SU and GU will include a summer camp. There will also be joint degree programs, where Southern and GU students will have part of their degree study in GU and part of their degree study in SU. The credits will be transferred to the other university so students can meet the necessary regulations of each country to obtain degrees from both GU and SU.
The two sides are developing a training center for Southern based in Guizhou to conduct training programs for sending Chinese students to Southern to study and/or for American students going to China.
"We are confident that our cooperation will have a bright future," said Chaoyun, who led the delegation of university and government officials from Guizhou.
Guizhou University has established cooperative and exchange relations with more than 40 academic institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, France, Japan, Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, Sweden, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Macao. During the past three years, more than 300 students from Guizhou have been sent to the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Thailand, France, Japan, and Korea for academic exchanges.
Guizhou consists of 20 colleges and 3 public education departments. There are about 32,000 students, including 25,053 undergraduates and 4,360 graduates. It is located in the suburban outskirts of Guiyang, the capital city of Guizhou Province. The university is one of the key 211 Project universities on mainland China.
Originally founded in 1902, Guizhou University is one of the province's seven major universities and the flagship institution of higher learning in Guizhou. It is also one of the largest universities in the Southwest of China.
SU's Vice Chancellor for Research and Strategic Initiatives Michael Stubblefield said the arrangement will be a major benefit to Southern's students in a number of fields, such as nursing, engineering, business, and the sciences. Stubblefield led the negotiations to establish the Guizhou-Southern partnership.