Armstrong State University officials signed a memorandum of understanding with Yichun University, located in Yichun City, China, on August 12, making it easier for faculty and students from both institutions to exchange teaching and learning opportunities.

The memorandum states that each university will aim for cooperative projects that include the mutual exchange of students and faculty for the purpose of program development, researching and teaching.

With a full-time student body of 20,000 and faculty base of 1,000, Yichun University is home to 19 colleges, which include Liberal Arts, Economics, Management, Law, Science, Engineering, Agriculture, Medicine and Art and Education, as well as six university-level research centers dedicated to various disciplines.

Armstrong President Linda Bleicken and Yichun University President Xiao Huayin signed the memorandum of understanding with Hinesville Mayor James Thomas in attendance. The City of Hinesville won the Sister Cities International’s 2014 Innovation Award for Economic Development for its sister city program with the City of Yichun. Four Yichun administrators also attended the signing ceremony, as did Armstrong Provost Robert T. Smith.

“This partnership with Yichun University is important to Armstrong faculty and students,” said Bleicken. “People-to-people exchanges promote mutual respect, understanding and cooperation. We look forward to expanding Armstrong’s horizons.”

The Yichun group also met with Armstrong administrators, department heads and professors on campus throughout the day to learn more about each other's university programs and explore the best ways to interchange between the two universities.  

This partnership is one of many ways Armstrong is committed to preparing students with global knowledge that will enable them to function as citizens of the world. The university actively supports a comprehensive approach to international education, with many study abroad and exchange programs for both students and faculty, as well as a series of international events on campus that promote international awareness and an appreciation of global cultures.