| To further enlarge and widen our international exchange with foreign institutions and promote American universities' understanding of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, ever since 2003 we have been in close contact with some universities in the US such as University of Wisconsin Stevens Point and Stevens Institute of Technology. After a series of talk and friendly negotiation of two years, an agreement was made between the International Program Center of University of Wisconsin and School of Continuing Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University on the cultural and educational exchanges among the students and the credit course being jointly held.
The cultural exchanges involves sending students group to the counterpart university, to understand the situation of the counterpart country such as culture, history, geography, folk-customs etc., to get the knowledge about the counterpart university, and to organize the interactive exchange activities among the students of both sides. To jointly hold the credit course is that the University of Wisconsin sends students to School of Continuing Education, Shanghai Jiao Tong University to study the characteristic credit courses such as fundamental Chinese, the traditional culture and ideology of the Confucian Schools, Introduction to China's historical background, China's folk-customs, China's traditional architecture, etc, which are jointly set up by the University of Wisconsin and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and are lectured by experts or scholars invited by School of Continuing Education School, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the credits of which are recognized by the University of Wisconsin.
To build up the knowledge of China for the Students and faculties of the university, and to promote the cultural exchanges between the University of Wisconsin and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, during June 19 th and 26 th , 2006, the University of Wisconsin sent a 28-person delegation of 25 students and 3 teachers to visit China, in which Shanghai Jiao Tong University was the first stop. During their visit in Shanghai, School of Continuing Education was honored to receive the delegation, and make the arrangement of all the visiting activities in Shanghai for the delegation. After 7 days stay in Shanghai, the delegation flew to Chengdu, and then visited Beijing.
The exchange activities for the delegation included lectures, campus tour, scenic spots sightseeing, and the interactive exchanges between the students of both universities. The lectures given introduced the visitors the influence of China's traditional culture and ideology on Chinese people's values, the social and political systems of contemporary China and the social variance of Shanghai, and China' policy of reforming and opening-up to the outside world and the influence of China's Economic taking-off on the contemporary world. The delegation visited the campuses of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Songjiang University Town of Shanghai. The scenic spots visited involve nearly every aspect of Shanghai such as the history, humanity, geography, folk-customs, economy and traditional architecture. Especially the visit to Qibao Ancient Town, The Bund, and Pudong New Area revealed the social variance and development track of Shanghai to the delegation. The school also showed the delegation around the heaven on earth – Suzhou and Hangzhou, the neighbor cities of Shanghai.
The short-term Summer Exchange program proved to be a great success. The program not only enhanced the understanding of the American Students on the situation of China especially Shanghai, enlarged the popularity of our university in US, promoted the cooperation between the International Program Center of the University of Wisconsin and School of Continuing Education of Shanghai Jiao Tong University, but also made a solid foundation for the credit courses which will come soon. |
