Issue date: 11/7/07 Section: News

Alexander Gonzalez [Click to enlarge]

Sacramento State's College of Continuing Education has collaborated with the School of Business and Tourism Management of Yunnan University in China to establish a college within the Chinese university.

Sac State President Alexander Gonzalez, Dean of the College of Continuing Education Alice Tom and Senior Program Manager of International Programs Josephine Leung were among those in China for the Oct. 26 inauguration of the Wong Sam Hang China America Management Education College.

According to the university's website, the university has decided on the instructional idea that "To teach is not to teach, and to learn is to create" so as to "construct a mode of professional training that takes the educational concept, scope of educational target, curriculums (and) operational mechanisms...as its major contents."

The college is located in Kunming, which is the capital city of the Yunnan province in Southwest China. Yunnan is known for its trade relations with neighboring Asian countries such as Thailand.

Margaret Hwang, assistant to the dean of the College of Continuing Education, said the college was created in the hopes of furthering the professional development of the Chinese population.

"Through the development and delivery of high quality professional training programs, the college will provide its students with the requisite skills, knowledge and abilities to advance in their respective fields while improving the quality of life for those in neighboring regions of China," Bernadette Halbrook, a professor in Sac State's Counselor Education Department, wrote in a mission statement for the school.

Students say this is a good opportunity for China to advance.

Undeclared sophomore Rubena Khan said, "I think this is a great chance for Sac State to help universities enhance their knowledge of Western academics. The idea of Sac State helping universities overseas builds hope and faith for students in other countries to advance and provides an opportunity for them to succeed. It will also enhance their knowledge and even open up the doors for studying abroad."

Josh Ulatan, sophomore criminal justice major, agreed.

"By subsidizing a trade school for the Chinese community, it is providing the people of the country with another great academic resource that indeed helps improve the quality of life," he said. "This can provide precedence for other schools to help assist troubled countries."

Hwang said as of right now, the college is only offering logistics.

Sac State is one of the first California State Universities to create an institution with other universities in the southwest area of China.

Hwang said Sac State provided the curriculum for the course, appointed the instructor and will continue to provide support for the college.

The establishment of the college was the idea of business alumna Winnie Leung, who graduated in 1966 as Sac State's first Asian female. The college is named in honor of her late father, Wong Sam Hang.

Leung donated approximately $125,000 to provide the startup funds for the college. Extra funding will come from student course fees, Hwang said.

Princess Garnace can be reached at pgarnace@statehornet.com.

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