Thirty members of the administration of Jilin University, the largest of China’s top 10 universities, recently completed a three-week study of American colleges and universities with the UGA Institute of Higher Education.
Members of the Jilin delegation received insight into all facets of education management and met with their professional counterparts on campus to get a better understanding of daily operations at UGA.
“UGA and IHE put a great deal of thought into each of the learning modules,” said Zhenwu Wu, head of the delegation and vice dean of the Jilin University Graduate School.
“Members of our delegation were impressed by the experience and scholarship of those who presented and appreciated the high priority that UGA places on international exchange.”
While the delegates found some key differences in the way American universities are structured and managed, some saw practices they planned to carry back.
“It was interesting to see how much students are involved in the governance of the institution. Their prospective is highly valued,” said Wu. “I plan to put more emphasis on that in my role in the graduate school.”
Doug Toma, program director and associate professor in the IHE, said, “Having 30 senior administrators from Jilin University in Athens for three weeks has been both a privilege and a pleasure.”
“We have found that we have much more in common than we are different, learning from one another and enjoying both humorous and profound moments together as we have attempted to communicate across languages and cultures,” he said.