A delegation of Linfield University leaders traveled to Sias University in Zhengzhou, China, in late September — and returned with a new partner in international education.
President Miles K. Davis, Provost Beth Concepción, and deans Gennie VanBeek and Jennifer Madden attended Sias’ 2023 opening ceremonies and held in-depth discussion on future collaboration between the two institutions.
Sias was founded by Linfield alumnus Shawn Chen ’87 with the goal of incorporating Western liberal arts traditions in a Chinese higher education setting. It has more than 30,000 undergraduate students, and offers both Chinese and American bachelor degrees. Chen, who is now chairman of the Sias board, facilitated conversations between the two universities.
“Dr. Chen is an extraordinary alumnus, and it was deeply gratifying to see the ways his Linfield experiences are impacting students,” Davis said. “Sias University is a truly international institution, and I, along with Provost Concepción, Dean Madden, Dean VanBeek and Dean Paul Smith of the School of Nursing are thrilled at the potential for long-term collaboration.”
A memorandum of understanding between Linfield and Sias, signed “in the belief that the research and educational process at both institutions will be enhanced,” calls for the development of a joint-supervision dual degree program with a prospective launch of a small pilot in the fall of 2025. It also calls for explorations of mutual exchanges, including students, faculty, curriculum and more starting as soon as the fall of 2024.
“This MOU is just the first step,” Davis said. “Linfield has a long-standing tradition of international dialogue, learning and exchange and this is a natural evolution. I’m very excited to see the opportunities this will bring to our entire educational community.”
