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NMC VP Explore Marine Tech Partnership with Chinese School
NMC VP to Explore Marine Technology Partnership with Chinese Technical School
TRAVERSE CITY — A Northwestern Michigan College official will leave for China this weekend to explore forming an educational partnership with a Chinese technical college.
Chris Weber, vice president for enrollment management and student services, will leave Saturday with officials from nine other colleges and universities across the country to see how Chinese technical colleges can connect with U.S. institutions that offer baccalaureates in similar areas of studies.
Weber said there's a high interest in NMC's marine technology baccalaureate program, which NMC is currently developing as an additional major. "I'm going there with an interest of forming a pathway for Chinese and U.S. students to learn more from a different perspective, not just a different culture," said Weber, who lived in China for more than two years.
Dalian Huamei International Economic and Cultural Exchange Center will pay for Weber's flight, food, lodging and conference fee. The Aug. 20–23 conference in Dalian is a follow-up to a successful Dalian Forum on Vocational Technical Education held in Dalian in October of 2013. "Dalian's founder wanted to create a pathway so Chinese vocational and technical colleges could get an awareness and understanding of the broader possibilities for their students," she said.
Besides long- and short-term student exchanges, a partnership could also establish cooperative research studies; allow faculty exchanges; cooperatively build major curriculum; exchange scholarly information; and pursue related projects and field studies of mutual interest.
Partnerships aren't new to NMC. The community college has formed similar partnerships with several universities and colleges in UK, Costa Rica, Russia, Japan and China.
Chris Weber, VP for Enrollment Management and Student Services
cweber@nmc.edu