College Strengthens Ties in China

Robert Olin and Luoheng Han with representatives of Jilin Agricultural University in China
Dean Robert Olin and Senior Associate Dean Luoheng Han met with the president, vice president and deans of Jilin Agricultural University during their two-week stay in China this September.

From the October 2014 edition of Desktop News | College of Arts and Sciences Dean Robert Olin and Senior Associate Dean Luoheng Han recently spent two weeks in China where they made academic presentations and met with representatives of two Chinese universities.

Olin gave an invited presentation on economic development in Tuscaloosa in Qingdao, China, as part of the first annual Global Congress of Knowledge and Economy–2014, held on Sept. 21-23. His presentation, “Economic Development and the Arts: The University of Alabama’s Role in Revitalizing Downtown Tuscaloosa,” focused on the contributions of recently opened University of Alabama art galleries to the preservation of cultural heritage and economic development in Tuscaloosa. There were more than 1,000 participants in the conference with presenters hailing from more than 20 countries.

During their stay, Olin and Han also visited Ocean University of China (OCU) and Jilin Agricultural University. At each institution, they met with the president, vice president and deans to explore ways to strengthen or create research exchanges for faculty, special programs for graduate students and training opportunities.

Olin and Han visited Jilin Agricultural University for the first time. While there, Han, a geographer, gave an invited presentation to the College of Natural Resources and Environment on “Remote Sensing Technology and its Applications.”

The College of Arts and Sciences has had an academic partnership with Ocean University of China for more than five years. Olin and Han first visited OCU in 2010. Since then, College of Arts and Sciences faculty have taught summer courses at Ocean University and Ocean students are now enrolled in several of UA’s graduate programs. In September, the group discussed bringing an OUC professor to UA to tour the College’s Math Technology Learning Center, connecting OCU’s College of Management to UA’s New College, recruiting additional OUC students to pursue doctorates at UA, and providing opportunities for OUC faculty to teach Chinese at UA.

“Dean Olin’s visit to our old and new academic partners was warmly received and will likely create fresh opportunities for our faculty and students in our global outreach initiative,” Han said.