The Office of Engagement recently hosted a group of educators and community representatives from Anhui Province, China. The eight-member delegation included individuals from both Anhui Agricultural University (AAU) and Jinzhai County.
The visit was tied to the Joint Institute for Agricultural Extension and Economic Development, which was established last December at a high-level ceremony in Hefei, the capital of Anhui Province. The visit significantly advanced this highly innovative international strategic partnership. In addition to the successful discussions deepening this partnership, the AAU delegation was able to explore campus as well as Fort Collins and Longmont.
The group toured Colorado State University Online offices and the CSU Trial Gardens. They visited the Agricultural Research, Development and Education Center located north of campus, and the Boulder County Extension office in Longmont.
As part of the trip, CSU and Anhui representatives discussed how to advance their current International Memorandum of Understanding, which includes student and faculty exchanges as well as the development of a joint research institute for agricultural extension and economic development.
Strategic partners
“One of the cornerstones of this partnership is working with AAU and the People’s Republic of China’s Ministries of Science and Technology and Education to create working model for university-based Extension in China,” said Lou Swanson, vice president for the Office of Engagement and director of Extension,
It is a connection that has been nurtured over time.
“It is amazing to see how the strategic partnership has been developed so efficiently with many brilliant achievements since its establishment only a few years ago,” said Dr. Xia Tao, vice president of Anhui Agricultural University. “We will continue to work closely with CSU on education, research, student and faculty exchange as well as Extension. We believe that the cooperation in these areas, especially in the area of Extension, will bring new dimensions to the Extension system at both sides.”
CSU to Anhui
The two universities also advanced discussions on dual undergraduate and graduate degrees, the mechanics of online course delivery, mutual research initiatives, and details surrounding an October symposium to be held at AAU, involving CSU faculty and administrators and representatives of 39 Chinese agricultural universities.
AAU is one of CSU’s 15 global strategic partners for international research and scholarship initiatives – the highest designation for CSU’s international strategic university partnerships. Anhui is a province of 60 million people in southeast China. Agricultural production is the dominant industry in the province.
