Chinese scholars celebrate completion of graduate studies

Harding University

May 12, 2008

Chinese scholars celebrate completion of graduate studies

SEARCY, Ark. – "Victor" Ning Wu of Changsha, China, received the master of business administration degree Saturday, May 10, during Harding University's commencement exercises. And like the University's other 649 May graduates, he plans to celebrate his accomplishment.

But unlike many American students, whose families travel en mass to the event, Wu only had his wife, "Judy" Jingzhi Wang, also an MBA student, in attendance. "I invited my mother, but she was not able to get a visa," he explains. Instead, he and Wang are taking a trip to Orlando, Fla.; Walt Disney World is at the top of their to-do list.

"We plan to spend three or four days in the parks," he says. "I've heard you cannot see it all in one day."

The vacation will be a just reward for Wu, whose American journey began in 2005 when he and Wang moved from Changsha, a city of more than 6 million, to Searcy to pursue graduate studies in business. He originally earned his undergraduate degree in computer and communication engineering, but his career path shifted not long after graduation when he went to work for the largest bank in China.

Two years later, he met the former director of the China Scholars Program at Harding, who encouraged Wu to consider furthering his education at an American university.

"I chose Harding's MBA program to gain more knowledge of business," he says. He is quick to point out that the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of the American banking system, vastly different from China's, was a key factor in his decision.

He plans to return to the banking industry in China after Wang completes her degree next year, and Wu is confident that his Harding education will make him more marketable to potential employers.

"My dream is to work for the Bank of America," he says. Until then, he hopes to gain practical experience, preferably with a Fortune 500 company.

But Wu was not the only Chinese student graduating Saturday. Ten others donned caps and gowns, including Changsha native "Lucy" Kejing Liu. A Harding student since 2006, Liu received the master of science in education degree with an emphasis in English.

Liu, who formerly taught English at a Chinese university, came in contact with Harding through her work for the school's International Exchange Office. Her previous classroom experience had left her eager to learn about another education system vastly different from the one-size-fits-all approach to which she was accustomed, and she wanted an opportunity to practice her English-speaking skills. Her program of study accomplished both.

"I do think I have benefited from this experience," says Liu. She points out that although Chinese students study English at least eight years, their instruction centers on preparing for formal, written tests.

"Before, I taught English in the Chinese tradition, only for testing, not conversation," she explains. "After coming here, I also learned about differentiated instruction. I had never realized its importance."

But her studies were not without challenges. One particular struggle was learning to properly cite sources in papers — a new concept for Chinese students. "I was so grateful for Dr. Organ [dean of the College of Arts and Humanities]," she says. "He taught us how to code sentences and gave us books to read to avoid those mistakes."

She will return to the classroom, but speaks wistfully of working in administration, her best opportunity to implement what she has learned and enlighten other teachers. Says Liu, "Whatever I will teach, I will show off my experience."

Wu and Liu are two of 113 Chinese students who attended Harding during the 2007-08 academic year. These men and women, representing 38 percent of the international student enrollment, attended the University as part of the China Scholars Program, which began in 2004. A division of the American Studies Institute, the program values Sino-American relations and exchanges, and thus invites Chinese government, business and educational leaders to experience U.S. culture and study U.S. government, business and educational systems.

Program participants arrive in the United States eager to further their studies, but many also see an opportunity to be teachers themselves, educating Americans about China.

"Ninety percent don't know much about the real China, only what they see on CNN," says Wu.

"They see China as very dark," Liu says. "I think that's our history, but it's a short period. China now has many more freedoms."

Both graduates look forward to returning home and putting their hard-earned degrees to work in their respective fields. But they are grateful for their time at Harding and will find saying good-bye bittersweet.

"Searcy is a very, very nice place," says Wu. "It is a peaceful place. It's like a second hometown. I even have adoptive grandparents here."