SSU International Exchange Program Hosts Chinese Delegates

On Nov. 10, Salem State University hosted 12 education administrators from seven Chinese universities to visit as part of the 1+2+1 program, which is Salem State's biggest international exchange program.

This visit, considered a milestone for Salem State, was hosted by the China Center for International Exchange (CIE), which is also the host for the 1+2+1 program.

In the morning, the director and staff of the Center for International Education showed the officials around campus, and introduced them to the history and background of Salem State.

From 11 a.m. to noon, everyone participated in a 1+2+1 meeting, which was hosted by Salem State Provost Dr. Kristin Esterberg. In the meeting, participants talked about the program and the process of transferring credits for 1+2+1 program students. They also talked about the faculty exchange between China and Salem State, with the Chinese officials showing an interest in both the short and long-term exchanges.

Later, CIE hosted a lunch for these guests and also invited five visiting scholars, one graduate student, one undergraduate student and three professors from the political science and geography departments, and the school of education to have lunch with them so that they can better understand SSU and the school's culture.

At the end of the day, CIE representatives guided the guest from China to the local attractions, which included a tour of downtown Salem, the waterfront and the Peabody Essex Museum. Yanxia Wang, the dual degree program coordinator and Student and Exchange Visitor Information System manager (SEVIS) of the CIE office, said those presidents and vice presidents were impressed by the Chinese collections at the Peabody Essex Museum.

"This tour to the Peabody Essex Museum also helped those presidents and vice presidents from China know more about the long historic relationship between Salem and China," she said.