Visitors from China Help UC Launch Ambitious Partnership Project

Defining the new urban research university – one of the central goals of UC|21 – is not merely a local plan, it turns out.

UC hosted a delegation on Tuesday from Shandong University in China, with the day highlighted by the signing of an agreement between the universities to create a Joint Center for Urban Research and open up offices on each campus for visiting faculty from their counterpart university.

"We’re very excited about the prospect of a Center for Urban Research. It’s what this university is all about," said UC President Nancy L. Zimpher at an afternoon signing ceremony. Signing for Shandong and leading a delegation of seven top officials from that university was Professor Zhengchang Zhu, chairman of Shandong’s University Council.

A second related agreement, this one designed to align Shandong’s master’s program in Urban Planning with that of UC, is also in the process of being signed, although principals involved from the Shandong end were unable to make the UC trip and will sign when the documents reach Shandong.

On visits to Shandong over the last year, UC leaders identified with Shandong a common commitment to the urban agenda and development of a substantive research plan across all colleges.

Both UC and Shandong are located in major urban centers which grapple with many issues common to urban areas. Additionally, the tremendous pace of economic development in China is making urbanization, planning and public health issues grow rapidly in importance. UC has much to offer as a partner in these areas, with prominent programs in fields such as engineering, construction management, environmental health and urban and regional planning.

The new center will be a venue for pursuing collaborative research and funded projects.

"We are pleased that the cooperation between our universities is substantial, and we believe it will lead to a prosperous program," said Shandong’s Zhu. "We have a big vision for our future together."

Part of the purpose of the visit by the Shandong guests was to further explore that future.

A number of the Shandong guests spent most of the morning on Tuesday in a roundtable discussion session that included more than 20 participants, including deans and other representatives from virtually every UC college. Both provosts’ offices were also represented.

There they discussed expanding into even more opportunities for collaboration.

"We had representatives in the room from every one of our colleges, and also faculty members who already have grants with Shandong," said UC Vice Provost for International Affairs Mitch Leventhal. "We used this opportunity to provide background on our colleges, their strengths and their aspirations for this relationship."

According to Leventhal, faculty development opportunities on both sides of the relationship are an area that is drawing a lot of interest.

Discussion also brought out a number of areas that provide natural opportunities for collaboration.

Among them:

• UC’s College of Nursing already has an existing agreement to strengthen nursing education and training with the Shandong provincial government, a relationship that was interrupted when the SARS scare hit China in 2003.
  
• An opportunity exists involving UC’s College of Pharmacy and an international conference called the FIP Congress. That group is due to assemble in Beijing in 2007, and Professor Adel Sakr from the college’s faculty is among the conference’s organizers.
  
• UC’s Center for Executive Education in the College of Business has already hosted 400 professionals from China for training sessions here in Cincinnati. The opportunity exists to explore expanding that into a joint executive certificate program with Shandong that could enhance business development within Shandong province.
  
• UC is nearing a formal agreement with Shandong to have the College-Conservatory of Music’s Dance division work cooperatively to develop Shandong’s dance program and develop a recruiting stream of promising students to UC.
  
• Exploration is underway for a three-way agreement between UC, Shandong’s Institute of Judaic and Inter-Religious Studies and Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati for an option involving Judaic Studies and research with all three schools. Shandong is one of China’s leading institutions in this field of study.
  
• Shandong’s Law School has expressed interest in working with UC’s College of Law and its Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights to expand its work in the area of human rights law.
  
• Shandong expressed interest in working with the College of Engineering to systematically improve engineering education quality so that it eventually can qualify for an accreditation process which mirrors the US ABET system.

"This is the start of a new kind of comprehensive collaboration which is rare among universities," said Leventhal. "Many of these items discussed are things we can proceed on almost immediately. He adds that a UC delegation will likely be going to Shandong in March, with additional agreements likely to be signed then.

Besides Professor Zhu, the Shandong University representatives visiting UC on Tuesday included:

• Prof. Qilong Wang, Vice President
• Prof. Youde Fu, Director of the Centre for Judaic and Inter-Religious
• Prof. Zijiang Chen, Director Reproductive Medical Center
• Prof. Guochen Ma, School of Management
• Prof. Junsong Wang, Deputy Director of the President's Office
• Prof. Chunling Song, Deputy Director, International Office