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WIU President Jack Thomas is pictured with Arlene Jackson, director for International Education at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and Sufei Li, national coordinator for AASCU's China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE) CHEPD Program.
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International Exchange Program Strengthened

May 31, 2017

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MACOMB, IL – In an effort to ease the transition of Chinese students to Western Illinois University, representatives of two academic organizations were on campus earlier this month to update faculty and academic advisors on policies and procedures.

WIU is a member of the Cooperation on Higher Education and Professional Development (CHEPD), which was developed in 2001 as a partnership between the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) and the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE). WIU President Jack Thomas is also a member of the AASCU Board of Directors.

WIU became a member of CHEPD in November 2012 and accepted its first students during the Fall 2016 semester. Currently there are four CHEPD students attending WIU and nationwide there are nearly 1,000.

On May 22, representatives of AASCU and CHEPD visited WIU to present information about the program. Visiting campus were Arlene Jackson, director for International Education at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), and Sufei Li, national coordinator for AASCU's China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE) CHEPD Program.

The visit was an effort to inform the campus community about the CHEPD program and how academic departments can include their programs in it. Attendees also learned about opportunities for faculty exchanges and research available in China. Information included discussions of articulating Chinese transfer coursework and developing student course plans.

The academic programming is available to graduate and undergraduate students. It provides an opportunity for Chinese students to study at both U.S. campuses and Chinese partner universities. Students spend their first year at a Chinese university, their second and third years at an American university and their final year at a Chinese university. Students who meet the graduation requirements earn a degree from both institutions.

There are 31 U.S. colleges and universities that are part of the CHEPD program.

The WIU meeting was attended by WIU's department chairs and academic advisors.

For more information about the program, contact the School of Distance Learning, International Studies, and Outreach at (309) 298-1929.


 




Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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