In December 2008, the Office of International Programs hosted a nine-member delegation of faculty and administrative officials from Ningbo University in Ningbo, China. The weeklong program focused on strategic planning, especially in matters of faculty assessment and training, and promotion & tenure.  Participants received lectures from representatives within the Office of the Provost and the College of Education, but they also had a chance to fan out across the University to meet with their counterparts in the Colleges of Technology, Consumer and Family Science, Engineering and Liberal Arts.

Though each day of the one-week program was packed with lectures and meetings, it wasn’t all serious.  Staying on campus at the Purdue Memorial Union Hotel, the Ningbo delegation had the opportunity to explore their surroundings.  They ate dinners and went shopping for Purdue gear in Chancy Village, interacted with exchange students and faculty from Ningbo currently on campus, and observed one of Purdue’s favorite traditions – the installation and lighting of the Purdue Christmas tree at the Purdue Memorial Union.  But the most popular of our campus visits was to Mackey Arena.  For a basketball-obsessed culture like China, the opportunity to shoot a few hoops on the Boilermaker’s home court was too irresistible to pass up! 

At the conclusion of the week-long program, Mike Brzezinski (Office of International Students and Scholars) and Matthew Sikora (Asian Initiative Coordinator) led the delegation to Indianapolis and Chicago for a weekend of sightseeing.  The group rode on the 2.5 miles Indianapolis Motor Speedway track, visited the Field Museum of Natural History and John G. Shedd Aquarium, and closed out their visit to the area with Chicago-style deep dish pizza dinner.

Each of the program participants had his own observations, but what struck them all – to a person – was the way information is exchanged in US universities.  In China, they said, lectures follow a fairly predictable pattern: the professors speak while the students take notes.  At Purdue, each of our presenters actively encouraged the participants to stop them, ask questions and offer opinions on their own. 

Purdue and Ningbo have nurtured a relationship since 2005 through an endowment from Purdue alumna Anna Pao Sohmen, who received her bachelor's degree in liberal arts in 1966. A distinguished business and political leader as well as a patron of the arts in Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom, she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree by Purdue in 2003. 

Sohmen's endowment has enabled 80 students from Purdue's colleges of Liberal Arts and Engineering to visit Ningbo University for study abroad programs since 2005. At the same time, Purdue has had 11 students from Ningbo University for one-semester exchange programs. 

"Purdue considers Ningbo University not only a partner in higher education collaborations, but also as its global friend," said Patrice Elaine Bland, director of global engagement with International Programs. "Purdue's collaboration with Ningbo University ties in with Purdue's new strategic plan, which calls for building new synergies through global learning, global discovery and global engagement."

Ningbo University Main Building in China
Photographer: Elaine Bland

For more information please contact: Matthew Sikora mvsikora@purdue.edu

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