The University of Alabama and Ocean University of China have signed an agreement to allow students from one university to study at the other beginning January 2008.
The agreement will allow UA students to study Chinese culture, language, history and contemporary Chinese business practices at Ocean University for one semester or more.
The University is also discussing a program that would allow students to be a part of a 15-day marine science research project in the South China Sea, aboard the Dong Fang Hong II, Ocean University's marine science research vessel.
In exchange, Ocean University students would be able to study at the University's Marine Environmental Sciences Consortium facility at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Jane Stanfield, associate provost for global outreach and international education, said the exact cost of the semester exchange program and the marine science program has not been set, but she said she expects it to be comparable to other UA exchange programs.
Stanfield said she hopes students will participate in the exchange program so that they can obtain a broader view of the world.
Brian Ranelli, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said he spent most of October in China, and his experience in China helped him to develop a better view of the world. He encouraged other students to take any opportunity to study in China.
"In addition to a great academic experience, [students] will learn to appreciate different cultures, perhaps more so in China," Ranelli said.
The exchange program agreement also sets up a degree program for Ocean University students who study at the University. They will be able to take class for two years in the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration before returning to Ocean University to finish their degrees.
Stanfield said Ocean University students will arrive in January to study in the English Language Institute to improve their English-speaking skills before they begin C&BA courses in the fall.
Thomas Canterbury, registrar for C&BA, said Ocean University students studying at the Capstone will take the same courses, such as accounting, marketing and finance, that UA students take during their sophomore and junior years.
Stanfield said Ocean University wants to expand the degree program to other fields of study at the University. She said Ocean University would like to send students to study nutrition and tourism and hospitality in the College of Human Environment Sciences.
Stanfield said Ocean University is pushing the degree program because China cannot meet its own need for higher education. As a result, she said, the Chinese government and Chinese universities are looking to other countries to help solve this challenge.
Luoheng Han, professor of geography and UA ambassador to China, was a member of the delegation that went to China to sign the agreement between the two universities, and he said the exchange agreement follows the globalization trend.
"Globalization is inevitable trend," Han said. "[Studying aboard] will help students understand why globalization is important, especially in China because it is becoming an economic superpower."
Globalization is one reason why the Chinese government is helping the University set up a Confucius Institute that will serve as a resource for the Tuscaloosa community to learn about China, Stanfield said.
The Institute, schedule to open in August 2008, will offer courses in Chinese language and culture that will help Tuscaloosa businesses and residents to learn more about China.
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