Texas Tech Signs Agreements With Chinese University To Promote Academic Trade

Texas Tech University recently signed two new partnership agreements with China’s Lanzhou University that promote academic trade and open the doors for Chinese students to study in the United States. Provost Bob Smith, representing President Guy Bailey, signed the agreements at 10 a.m. Tuesday (Dec. 8), with Xuhong Zhou, president of Lanzhou University. The signing comes at the end of a three-day visit by a seven member Chinese delegation composed of Lanzhou University deans and administrators. “The visit by Lanzhou University’s president to Lubbock shows how much Lanzhou values our partnership and supports our joint interest in expanding ties even further,” said Ambassador Tibor Nagy, vice provost for international affairs. “China’s increasing global influence and keen interest in developing its academic institutions to the highest global standards presents huge opportunities for Texas Tech. By expanding our exchange programs in China, we also strengthen our international name recognition and reputation.  This will attract more highly qualified Chinese students and researchers to Texas Tech.” Administrators signed a general agreement for Lanzhou University to send its students to Texas Tech for semester- or year-long studies. Also, they signed a memorandum of understanding between Lanzhou University and Texas Tech’s College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources to create a graduate student exchange agreement. “We’ve had an undergraduate exchange agreement with Lanzhou University for about five years now,” said Norman Hopper, associate dean of academic and student programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. “We’re going to try to set up a graduate exchange, so we’re pledging to work together to work out the details. Since we live in a similar environment in West Texas, our courses will be applicable to the environment that students will encounter in China, and vice-versa.” Lanzhou is Texas Tech’s oldest partner institution in China, with the relationship going back almost a decade, having been pioneered by Horn Professor Vivien Allen of Plant and Soil Sciences, and Ronald Sosebee of the Department of Natural Resources Management. Lanzhou is a city of about 3.3 million in China’s interior. It is situated in a semi-arid agricultural region looking to benefit from wind energy and water-saving technologies. In addition to maintaining an active exchange program, Lanzhou would serve as Texas Tech’s Chinese partner institution if Lubbock decides to host a Confucius Institute – China’s global project to promote Chinese language and culture. CONTACT: Elizabeth McDaniel, Office of International Affairs, (806) 742-2974 ext. 265, or elizabeth.mcdaniel@ttu.edu, Norman Hopper, associate dean of academic and student programs in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, (806) 742-2808, or norman.hopper@ttu.edu.