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Higher Education Forum on "Global Universities in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities"

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007

Washington D.C.

I appreciate the opportunity to participate in this session and represent North Carolina State University in discussing the models we have established regarding student mobility and academic exchange. President Adams has given an excellent background of land-grant universities and NC State is also a proud land grant institution.

North Carolina State has a history of welcoming international students to engage in academic learning, to conduct innovative research, to prepare themselves for successful careers and to enhance our campus culture - we currently have over 2,000 international students from 105 countries. India and China lead with the highest numbers in attendance at NC State with 462 and 357, respectfully.

We have developed a number of agreements with international institutions, broadened our international presence with a branch campus in Prague, and are working to further develop our historic ties with India, while also sending delegations this year to China, South Korea and Japan to maintain and to build relationships there.

Have working relationships in these countries has helped build bilateral programs that have encouraged the exchange of ideas in all disciplines. We feel that as a result of our international activities NC State is well positioned to deliver a multi-disciplinary education, combining the sciences and the humanities, and to take steps in preparing our graduates to lead, live and work in a knowledge-based global economy. The key ingredient of our model for student mobility and academic exchange is based on partnerships.

Last year, NC State launched our China Initiative, and we have signed several agreements with Chinese Universities. These agreements go well beyond traditional study abroad programs and are helping transform international education at NC State. Our China Initiative gives NC State the opportunity to build strong international academic partnerships, address global competitiveness and support our growing economy. Through these partnerships, we have developed both short-term and long-term study and research opportunities for faculty and students.

As an example, we have established joint B.S. and Master's degree programs with Zhejiang University. Known as a "3+1 Degree Program," Zhejiang students will spend their senior year at NC State, taking graduate courses. This format allows them to complete their B.S. degree at Zhejiang and a Master's degree at NC State in one of several disciplines: veterinary medicine, resource and environmental science, applied biological sciences, agronomy and genomics. This format has shown itself to be a good recruiting tool for students interested in pursing a doctorate, as it allows them to build relationships with faculty and to be exposed to NC State in advance.

I should also comment that we do not limit programs solely to semester-long studies. Through our partnerships, we have summer study programs that allow flexibility for students unable to commit to an entire semester abroad. These types of opportunities allow students to participate in short-term and long-term summer studies that will not slow their academic progress, but will provide course credits toward their requirements for graduation.

Our summer agreements include a Summer Research Experience program, through which students from China come to NC State to do research and build relationships. Those experiences potentially serve as a means to open the door for graduate studies at a later date. This summer, we began our first exchanges between NC State and our primary partner institution Zhejiang University and hosted undergraduate students for research experiences on our campus. These students were paired with faculty from our College of Agriculture and Life Sciences for ten weeks of study.

Through another agreement, this one with Chinese Agricultural University, a group of NC State Veterinary Medicine students traveled to China for a 10-day workshop on veterinary acupuncture and traditional Chinese veterinary medicine.

We also organized our summer study programs in China so several professors from NC State could travel with our students and teach courses for them at Zhejiang University. This aspect reduced the language barrier present in many traditional study abroad programs, while giving our students invaluable exposure to Chinese higher education and culture.

Another very practical example of a partnership with Nanjing Normal University is the Confucius Institute on the NC State campus. We opened the doors to the Confucius Institute last spring to help serve as a teach tool for Chinese language and culture. Through the Confucius Institute, we are taking a very proactive step in increasing the interest level in student exchange with China. The Confucius Institute allows NC State to expand its Chinese language and culture teaching capacity beyond NC State students and includes public school teachers, businesspeople and community members.

For language training, faculty and staff from NC State and our sister institution, Zhejiang University, are exploring the option of a co-teaching model, where local Chinese faculty and NC State faculty teach courses together on our respective campuses.

With the surge in interest in China for university partnerships, the state is set for opening discussion to further break down language and financial barriers that limit some international exchange. We also are exploring ways to minimize the financial barrier by increasing our study abroad scholarship availability.

This morning, I have shared with you examples of ways that NC State is enhancing student mobility and exchange through our China Initiative. Our students who participate in the Initiative receive real-world experience in China, giving them, we believe, a competitive academic advantage. They will gain more than study abroad experience - they will gain the opportunity to immerse themselves in Chinese culture, language and society.

And, for many Chinese students, our partnerships with Chinese universities has provided additional opportunities to come to NC State for graduate degrees.