CHICAGO, IL (January 25, 2011) – A new agreement between North Park University and five Chinese universities will establish cross-cultural learning and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty.

The institutions will promote student and faculty exchanges, make available degree completion opportunities for Chinese students seeking to study at North Park, and identify programs of mutual interest for all students.

The five institutions include:

• Beijing Union University (College of Arts and Sciences), Beijing
• Jianwen University, Yantai
• Anhui University of Finance and Economics, Bengbu
• Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, Guangzhou
• Leshan Normal University, Leshan

“North Park University is delighted to expand its international higher education opportunities with China,” said President David Parkyn. “With the resources available through our faculty and the city of Chicago, North Park will feature programs of study in collaboration with Chinese universities that will enhance the learning opportunities available to our students and prepare these graduates for a world in which dialogue and exchange are valued ideals.”

Provost Joseph Jones noted “North Park has hosted numerous faculty exchanges and student exchange programs in the past, and we already have a large number of Asian faculty and students. With the signing of the recent formal agreements, the opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration will expand rapidly.”

Wesley Lindahl, dean of the university’s School of Business and Nonprofit Management, taught an intensive change management course at Guangdong University (accompanying photo). The school extended the invitation to Lindahl after North Park Professor Timothy Lin visited universities in China.

“I knew of several Chinese schools that were looking for foreign partners, so I proposed to Provost Jones that we reach out and make some Chinese friends,” Lin said in 2010 after returning from his trip. “These universities want to know two things primarily – how we run our schools and how we interact with students.”

Parkyn, Jones, and Lin signed memorandums of understanding with the five universities during a recent trip. Details of both short-term and semester-long study programs and other programs are being developed.