A group of 13 UALR students traveled to China during spring break and visited UALR’s partner school, the Southwest University of Science and Technology, in Mianyang, China.

Dr. Jeff Kyong-McClain, assistant professor in history, led the delegation along with Dr. Jess Porter, assistant professor in geography, and Dr. John Kirk, chair of the UALR Department of History.

Last spring, a delegate from the partner school visited and met with Chancellor Joel E. Anderson, took a campus tour, and met with faculty in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology and the Nanotechnology Center at UALR.

“We signed an exchange agreement with SWUST in 2010,” said Dr. Jeff Kyong-McClain. “Since then, eight students from their school have come to UALR and three of ours went there to study Chinese.”

The Southwest University of Science and Technology offers 70 undergraduate degree programs, 67 master degree programs, and 13 engineering master degree programs in eight subjects: engineering, science, economics, law, arts, agriculture, management, and education. In addition, the university offers four joint Ph.D. programs with the Chinese Academy of Engineering Physics.

The UALR group in China toured various SWUST colleges. Two of the professors in the UALR delegation gave academic talks at the Foreign Languages College and the College of Environmental Sciences and Engineering.

The 13 students in the UALR group met with Chinese students at the SWUST Student Groups Center and engaged in cultural exchange, studying Chinese calligraphy, painting, music, and martial arts.

For more information about the Southwest University of Science and Technology exchange program, contact Dr. Jeff Kyong-McClain at 501-569-8393.