Four delegates from China’s Hainan Open University visited Shoreline’s campus Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015 to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two colleges. President Cheryl Roberts signed for Shoreline with Yuehua Xie, Vice President of Hainan Open University, signing for Hainan.
The MOU establishes a partnership between the two institutions that will result in cooperation in “academic and non-academic exchange, short-term technical and professional training and other international education programs.”
The document states that, “depending on their level of English proficiency, students (from Hainan University) will have the option of enrolling in a 1+1 or 1+2 joint cooperation program” with Shoreline.
Participating students can complete their first year of academic coursework at Hainan Open University with a focus on English and general education. They can then transfer to Shoreline to complete intensive English, general education core and distribution and academic major requirements.
Each student’s level of English proficiency will determine whether they study at Shoreline for one year or two. At the completion of their studies at Shoreline, students will have the option to either transfer back to Hainan Open University with an Associate of Arts degree or apply for transfer to a U.S. university to pursue an undergraduate degree.
Bob Francis, Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs for Shoreline, opened the signing ceremony by remarking that the two schools may exist in different cultures but that their goal and mission of helping their students achieve their dreams are the same.
President Roberts said that this new partnership with Hainan will benefit students of both institutions.
“Shoreline Community College recognizes the importance of preparing all of our students for success in an increasingly globalized world,” Roberts said. “One of the ways we do this is by creating an international experience right here on our campus. This understanding and exchange with our esteemed colleagues at Hainan Open University aligns with the college’s vision of being a world-class leader in student success and community engagement.”
During the visit, Shoreline’s Ann Garnsey-Harter, Executive Director of the Virtual Campus, eLearning & Instructional Technology, presented on Shoreline’s online learning program including several of the college’s fully online degree-granting programs that are available to students from Hainan.
Cathy Otto, Dean of Health Occupations, Physical Education and Business, also presented on the various transfer degrees international students may want to study here, including business and entrepreneurship.
Hainan Open University is located along the coast of the South China Sea on Hainan Island of Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province. Along with Vice President Yuehua Xie, the Hainan delegation included Shiqi Shang, Dean of Enrollment; Changqing Deng, Deputy Director of Hainan Provincial Bureau of Education, and Qian Ma, Vice Dean of Continuing Education.