Osgood Partnership Explores China Program
Alma College, a liberal arts institution in Michigan, and the Washington, D.C.,-based Osgood Center for International Studies have signed a formal agreement to develop a China exchange program and increase learning opportunities for Alma College students.
As part of the affiliation, Alma College and the Osgood Center will explore opportunities for educational partnerships with higher education institutions in China and cooperatively develop academic courses for Alma students in Washington, D.C.
“We are pleased to enter into this partnership with the Osgood Center, which for many years has offered experiential learning programs to college students in Washington, D.C., and around the world,” said Alma College President Jeff Abernathy, who traveled to China with Provost Michael Selmon in February for talks with university leaders in China.
Read President Abernathy's blog in the Washington Post about international education.
“Our goals for this partnership are to increase the number of international students at Alma and to strengthen teaching and educational opportunities for our faculty and students in China,” he said. “In today’s global economy, it is vitally important for our students to have opportunities to interact with individuals from different cultures and perspectives. Osgood, with its experience developing and marketing cultural education programs, will help us facilitate these new opportunities.”
The Osgood Center has been at the forefront of innovative learning programs for college students both in the United States and around the world, said Dennis Gonier, chair of the Osgood Center Board of Directors.
“Our base in Washington, D.C., combined with a presence in Asia allowed us to establish unique institutional friendships in China that were poised to be fully leveraged by a forward thinking college like Alma,” said Gonier. “In a larger sense, this is a rare opportunity for America to use education programs to strengthen our multi-faceted relationship with China. Alma College's leadership acted on this clear potential, and we are excited about this partnership.”
Alma College and the Osgood Center plan to deepen the partnership in the years ahead by increasing learning opportunities for Alma College students in Washington, D.C, through Osgood Center programming. The Osgood Center offers annual leadership, business and foreign policy conferences for college students on contemporary international issues.
Posted: Mon, May 9th, 2011 at 1:34PM
