The partnership allows Chinese students to complete their freshman year at their native school, spend the two middle years at HSU, then return to China for their senior year and earn bachelor’s degrees from both universities.
HSU President Rollin Richmond called the 15 graduates citizens of the world. “We at Humboldt State believe that encounters with other cultures are an essential part of an examined life,” Richmond told the audience at the Xi’an campus in northwest China. Xi’an is one of China’s four ancient capitals and is home to the famed Terracotta Warriors.
Joined by Xi’an President Sishe Hu and Provost Liu Yuelian, Richmond saluted the students for their academic achievements, which, he said, “dissolved borders and boundaries and widened their intellectual horizons.”
The dual-degree graduates majored in business or international studies while honing their skills in English on the Redwood Coast.
Xi’an’s Humboldt College is the cornerstone of a partnership established in 2006 for student and faculty exchanges, joint academic programs, mutual research and scholarship, and service projects. HSU faculty members teach on a regular basis at the new school.
The linkages sustain Humboldt State’s long-term drive to internationalize the campus and encourage diversity and multicultural learning. Today, HSU has more than 60 students from multiple countries, versus some 35 early in the decade.