LEWISTON, Idaho – Officials from Baicheng Normal University in Baicheng, China, and Lewis-Clark State College signed collaboration and credit transfer agreements during a signing ceremony at the LCSC Student Union Building on Tuesday.
The agreements allow students who study for two years at Baicheng Normal to transfer to LCSC for their final two years and earn either a Bachelor of Science degree in biology or chemistry from LCSC. Once the documents are signed by both institutions, BNU will apply for recognition of the 2+2 degree agreement from the Chinese Ministry of Education, which oversees all educational exchanges in China.
This is the first 2+2 international agreement at LCSC. It came about because former LCSC International Programs director Steve Arnold made contact with BNU through an international education agent in 2015. Arnold later met with BNU officials and as a result, the LCSC Natural Sciences Division hosted two BNU faculty members last fall. The faculty members observed teaching methods and the visit also helped facilitate the transfer agreement.
“We are excited about the potential this partnership has to support our international enrollment goals and we will continue to seek partnerships like this in China and around the world,” said Andy Hanson, LCSC vice president for Student Affairs.
Baicheng Normal is the only provincial undergraduate university in the western part of the Jilin province of China. The university’s enrollment is around 12,000 full-time students. BNU has 22 college and 44 undergraduate programs.
The BNU delegation at LCSC included Li Yuejun, director of International and Exchange Division; Wei Liying, vice director of International and Exchange Division; and Wang Qiuyan, dean of the Foreign Language Department. The group toured the campus and met with various LCSC officials during their visit.
For more information on the agreements or the visit by Baicheng officials, contact Carol Martin, director of International Programs at LCSC, at [email protected] or at 208-792-2877.