August 20, 2007

Delegation from China to meet Purdue officials, tour center

Twenty representatives from Shanghai Jiao Tong University will spend the day learning about the educational philosophy, practices and experiences at Purdue, as well as hearing presentations from the College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts, School of Management and College of Education.

"This visit is an indication of the deepening relationship between Purdue and Shanghai Jiao Tong University," said Riall Nolan, associate provost and dean of international programs. "With the rising economic, political and cultural significance of China, Purdue's affiliation with universities there is increasing. We've seen a higher interest in Purdue students and faculty studying or doing research in China, and many Chinese students come here each year too."

Along with attending presentations by Purdue officials and administrators, the members of the delegation will have the opportunity to tour the Envision Center for Data Perceptualization, an interdisciplinary, high-performance visualization showcase facility that supports research and teaching at Purdue.

"This visit could open possibilities for further collaboration between our institutions," Nolan said. "Shanghai Jiao Tong could have gone to any university in the United States, but they have decided to strengthen their partnership and learn more from Purdue. The benefits of this partnership, from student exchanges to commercialization opportunities, can have a long-term impact on not only Purdue but the state and nation as well."

Of the 4,824 international students enrolled at Purdue in the 2006-07 school year, there were 767 students from China, second only to India with 1,085. That year, 222 Purdue students were studying abroad in Asia, up from 79 students there in 2005-06.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Sources: Riall Nolan, (765) 494-9708, rwnolan@purdue.edu

Elaine Bland, executive associate for operations for associate provost and dean of international programs, (765) 494-9399, peb@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Journalists are invited to attend the tour of the Envision Center or any of the presentations. To make arrangements, contact Christy Jones, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

To the News Service home page