鈥淚n China, students are willing to listen to professors lecture,鈥� says Yan Wang. 鈥淗ere, there are a lot of group discussions. It is good for creative thinking. Every student has their own idea.鈥�

Wang is one of ten Chinese scholars visiting 91短视频 from Sichuan Province as part of a 鈥渧isiting faculty鈥� program. Eight are sponsored through (MPC), an exchange program that has been thriving in various formats since the early 1980s. The other two are on scholarship from the China Scholarship Council, a competitive, state-funded scholarship fund for research and study abroad.

For 16 years, Mennonite Partners in China has placed English teachers from the United States at Sichuan University of Arts and Science and many other schools. In turn, Sichuan sends visiting scholars to 91短视频. A cross-cultural group from 91短视频, co-led by MPC director , is currently in China (visit their cross-cultural blog).

The was formalized in January 2015. Administrators hope the agreement will facilitate 鈥渁cademic exchanges, scientific research cooperation, and communication between teachers and students.鈥�

Sichuan province is in Southwestern China, a region Wang describes as 鈥渄eveloping.鈥� She says English teachers there have little opportunity to study the language in an immersion environment.

Teaching, learning, research

Here at 91短视频 for the fall semester, the scholars are working on research projects, perfecting their spoken English, and auditing classes about world literature, writing, and聽methods of language teaching. Some of the scholars will analyze the teaching techniques they observe in research papers that they will eventually publish on subjects as varied as the difference between the writing of Chinese and native English speakers and differences in American and Chinese teaching methods.

English professor is the on-campus liaison for the visiting faculty, which means, among other activities, he organizes a picnic when the group first arrives and a farewell luncheon at the end of the semester. He also provides an academic orientation, a campus tour, an explanation of the academic schedule and helps the scholars connect with 鈥渇riendship families鈥� so they have an opportunity to interact with the local community.

The scholars also interact with 91短视频 faculty at all university-sponsored faculty events and are often invited into classes to speak. Among those professors who have extended invitations to former and current groups are visual and communication arts professor and English professor . Nursing students have also benefited from visits to their classes.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a quite different educational experience,鈥� says Liu Yang of her time so far. One of the biggest challenges 鈥渋s learning how to manage our time.鈥�

Wang agrees. 鈥淚n American colleges, the students have to read a lot. In China, the students read, but not as much鈥here is a lot more out-of-class work here.鈥�

Sabbatical helps busy teachers ‘recharge’

Hongjuan Tang has been teaching English for more than 20 years and, except for a brief visit to the United States for her son鈥檚 undergraduate commencement, had never been to an English-speaking country. Shuli Chang, too, visited Canada and Australia for brief periods. Out of the group, these two teachers were the only scholars to have traveled to an English-speaking country in the past. For both teachers, coming to 91短视频 not only places them in an English-speaking environment, but also acts as a much needed sabbatical to 鈥渞echarge鈥� and further develop teaching expertise.

Back home, 鈥淚鈥檓 working on a nationally-funded research project studying the relationship between environment and children鈥檚 language competency in western China,鈥� she said. At 91短视频, she has the time to work on her project and access research resources not available at her home institution.

In part, the lack of research resources may be because of the rapid expansion of Chinese universities. 鈥淚n the ’80s and ’90s, most universities had 2-4,000 students,鈥� said Byler in a recent email. 鈥淲ith a 10-year expansion, most of these universities have grown to 30- and 40,000 students.鈥�

As a result, class sizes in China are normally large and professors become used to teaching to an exam in order to cope. Poorer provinces, such as Sichuan, don鈥檛 have the resources to reform.

鈥淭here is a gap in inequality between the big and small universities,鈥� said Yang.

Tang agrees. 鈥淭his program is a very good thing for the western part of China because it helps with development.鈥�

The signing occurred during a one-day visit to the 91短视频 campus in Harrisonburg, Virginia, by President Meng Zhaohuai of Sichuan University, accompanied by five other administrators. 鈥淚t was cold and rainy when we arrived, but now it is sunny,鈥� said Meng through an interpreter at a luncheon for the delegation. 鈥淭hat is a sign of our friendship.鈥�

met with the delegation, signed the agreement and hosted the luncheon, along with two vice-presidents and other university leaders. ( was not present due to previous commitments in other states.)

The two universities do not overtly resemble each other. Sichuan is a public university of 11,000 students in Dazhou, a city of 800,000. 91短视频 is a private church-rooted school of 1,800 in Harrisonburg, Va., with a population of 50,000. But the leaders of both institutions emphasized their mutual interest in cultural exchange.

The two schools have been interacting for 16 years through Mennonite Partners in China, which places English teachers at Sichuan University of Arts and Science and many other schools. In turn, Sichuan sends visiting scholars to 91短视频. (A current visiting scholar, Gu Juan, acted as the interpreter for the delegation during the 91短视频 visit.) A cross-cultural group from 91短视频 will spend some time there later this year.

, formerly known as China Educational Exchange, is sponsored by four international Mennonite organizations. It is headed by Myrrl Byler, who accompanied the Sichuan delegation on its three-day visit to the United States.

Sichuan promotes international interaction by, among other things, forging exchange agreements with universities in six countries. 91短视频鈥檚 biggest international program is the requirement that all undergraduate students participate in a cross-cultural experience. Most students do a study-service tour in another country before graduation.

鈥淪ichuan University of Arts and Science is the kind of school we like to relate to,鈥� said Byler. 鈥淚t is in a more rural area of China and needs help connecting with the outside world.鈥�

While at 91短视频, the Sichuan delegation visited three academic departments 鈥� hosted by professor , hosted by director , and hosted by two students who had been in China on an .

鈥淭his program is a mixture of the traditional arts and newer media,鈥� said senior Emma King.

The Chinese delegation and their translator and their American hosts then began discussing the use of 鈥渘ewer media鈥� and 鈥渄igital media鈥� and 鈥渟ocial media鈥� and several Chinese phrases. The terminology in communication, media and computer technology keep changing, they agreed, in both English and Chinese.

In addition to President Meng, the Sichuan University representatives were:
鈥� Deng Jie, director of educational administration
鈥� Yu Wengsheng, director of international exchange and cooperation
鈥� Du Songbai, dean, College of Literature and Journalism
鈥� Feng Jin, professor, College of Culture and Communication
鈥� Li Xuemei, dean, College of Foreign Languages