On December 20, Vice-President Qing Fengzhen met with a delegation of presidents from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in Yan'an Campus. The visiting members include Lester C. Newman, President of Jarvis Christian College, Leslie Pollard, President of Oakwood University, and Prudence Poland, Vice-President of Oakwood University, Julia Wilson (female), CEO of Wilson Public Relations, accompanied by the Shanghai People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, Mr. Yuan Weikang, etc. Relevant persons in charge of the International Cooperation Office and the International Cultural Exchange School attended the meeting.
During the meeting, Qing Fengxi extended a warm welcome to the delegation and made a brief introduction on the school's general situation, history, characteristic disciplines, and international cooperation. He said that great changes have taken place in China since the forty years of reform and opening up, and universities have increasingly paid more attention to international cooperation and exchanges. Donghua is willing to cooperate with American universities, sharing education resources, deepening teacher-student exchanges, short-term and long-term training, and continuing to promote the exchange programs of students from traditional African American universities in China. With rich forms of cooperation, including exchanges between students and students, students and teachers and scientific research, China and America can build a friendly relationship in the academic field.
The foreign delegation briefly introduced the history of their universities and Historically Black Colleges and Universities. More than a quarter of African-American students have obtained undergraduate degrees from HBCU. HBCU has cultivated many outstanding talents for the American society. The delegation expressed the hope that more students can come to Donghua University for exchange and study in the future, and also welcome Donghua students to come to the US to share education resources.
Representatives from the International Cultural Exchange School introduced the summer scholarship and Sino-US humanities scholarship to foreign guests, and welcome their students to come to Donghua to learn Chinese, experience Chinese culture or continue to pursue postgraduate degrees.
It is said that there are 104 Historically Black Colleges and Universities in total, an important part of higher education in the United States. The HBCU program is an exchange program for African American students studying in China. It is a sub-program of the China-US people-to-people and cultural exchange mechanism, aiming to promote friendly exchanges and cooperation between China and the United States.
