Sixteen faculty members of Changsha Social Work College toured Muskegon Community College on May 31 as part of a professional development and exchange program hosted by Ferris State University.
After receiving an overview of MCC, the delegation toured campus, met with MCC faculty who taught the same topics, and enjoyed the camaraderie of MCC staff and faculty.
Changsha is a higher vocational college, similar to a U.S. community college, located in the northeast part of Hunan Province. Changsha has approximately 18,000 full-time students and 11 departments covering 47 programs, including Civil Administration, Social Work, Rehabilitation Medicine, Memorial Service, IT Engineering, Computer Application, Economy and Trade, Applied Foreign Language, Art and Design, Humanities, and Law.
“We hear a lot about China as a rising superpower and a competitive force, but we learned that they work under many of the same and worse constraints than we do,” said Dan Rinsema-Sybenga, host of the MCC tour and Director of Business & Industry Training at MCC. “Just like us, they genuinely care about their students and are working towards their success.”
During the 12-week program participants engage in faculty and staff-led presentations, discussions, and informal exchanges focused on current topics of interest in higher education. They also visit numerous colleges and universities to gain a better understanding of the higher education landscape in the U.S.