Cal State San Bernardino welcomed 24 education administrators from 20 universities in China on Monday, Nov. 13, where they met with CSUSB leaders, faculty and students for a professional development day.

The 24 visitors were a delegation from the China Center for International Educational Exchange, visiting universities in the United States as part of the Sino-American CHEPD program, where Chinese students begin their studies in their Chinese universities, then spend two years studying at an American university, then finally return to their Chinese university for their final year of studies. Upon graduation, the students receive degrees from both universities.

Since CSUSB joined the program 10 years ago, “we have hosted on our campus 233 students and this year we have on our campus 17 students, most of them in the Jack H. Brown College of Business and Public Administration and also others in the College of Arts and Letters,” said Tatiana Karmanova, dean of the CSUSB College of Extended Learning and the university’s senior international officer.

The program not only benefits among students, but also university administrators, Karmanova told the delegation. “You will be able to meet with members of the leadership team of Cal State San Bernardino and to foster our relationship to promote our mutual understanding and cooperation between our respective institutions.”

CSUSB President Tomás D. Morales welcomed the group not only as being a delegation for the Sino-American CHEPD program, but also to be able to learn about American universities.

“I’m pleased that each of you has the opportunity to engage in professional development,” Morales said. “I know that when I travel to China I learn so much from visiting your institutions, from talking to your leadership and to your faculty, so I am so pleased that you are here as part of a delegation, but also part of your commitment about learning about institutions of higher education in the United States.”

Morales said the university wants to work with Chinese universities to benefit not only Chinese students but also the CSUSB community.

“We are very, very interested in partnering with you so that our students can visit and study in China and also to provide our faculty and staff the opportunity to visit China and support your universities,” Morales said. “Our university is dedicated to student success and preparing our graduates to excel in the global marketplace.”

Zhang Junzong, party secretary-general group leader from Gansu Agricultural University, said the group’s visit was two-fold.

“First, to learn how American universities manage and operate their campuses and programs, and second, and most importantly, see how faculty and administrators work the 1 plus 2 plus 1 program,” Junzong said.

The program was coordinated by the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE), an affiliate of China’s Ministry of Education. The campus program was coordinated by CSUSB’s College of Extended Learning.

For more information, contact Anneli Adams, associate dean of the College of Extended Learning, at 909-537-3890 or via email at anneli.adam@csusb.edu.

For more information on Cal State San Bernardino, contact the university’s Office of Strategic Communication at (909) 537-5007 and visit news.csusb.edu.