In a University of Minnesota delegation to China led by President Eric Kaler June 25-July 5, programs and alumni of College of Education and Human Development were highlighted, relationships strengthened, and opportunities explored. The trip coincided with the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the first Chinese students to the U of M-Twin Cities.
CEHD representatives in the delegation (see photo) were Ken Bartlett, professor and associate dean for graduate, professional, and international programs, and Li Li Ji, professor and director of the School of Kinesiology and the Laboratory of Physiological Hygiene and Exercise Science. Both traveled to Beijing and Tianjin; Ji also accompanied the group in Shanghai and Barlett in Taipei.
Bartlett and Ji were welcomed at the Tianjin University of Sport (TUS). Ji played a key role in establishing the U.S.-China Center for Sports Culture Exchange at TUS last year shortly after he came to Minnesota. It is one of several American cultural centers supported by a grant from the U.S. State Department and the only one devoted to the role of sport in the two nations.
“It was thrilling to see first hand the strength of our relationship with the Tianjin University of Sport and the extremely high regard for Professor Ji’s scholarship and our School of Kinesiology,” said Bartlett.
Ji and Meredith McQuaid, the University’s associate vice president and dean for international programs, met with a group of former Chinese Olympians and representatives from the Beijing University of Sport. Ji, the first Chinese national to pursue U.S. graduate study in exercise physiology, started the Chinese Champions program to bring top athletes from China to the United States for graduate study.
“It was a rewarding and productive experience,” said Ji. “We strengthened many relationships with our Chinese partners, and created new ones. The School of Kinesiology looks forward to the research, scholarship, and outreach opportunities that will ensue from these partnerships. Our international strategies keep us competitive in a global market, extend our educational outreach, and provide global competency for our students as well as our international guests.”
During the trip, the delegation also met with alumni. Bartlett even got to reconnect with one of his first graduate students, Dr. Yu-Wen Liu, in Taipei.