California State University, Fresno’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology is anticipating its first class of graduates from the China 1+2+1 Dual Degree Program in spring 2011
The 1+2+1 Program is an opportunity for Chinese students to attend their own university for one year in China, study two years in the United States and then finish their final year back home. After the graduation commencement in China next spring, the students will receive their diplomas from their home universities in China and from Fresno State.
Fresno State joined the program in 2008 because of its strong agriculture orientation. The China 1+2+1 students who attend Fresno State are specifically agriculture majors, studying mostly food science and plant science.
Due to the success of the current established program on campus, it will expand to include more students in the future, said Dr. Bill Erysian, coordinator of grants & international projects for the Jordan College. All 14 majors offered by the Jordan College are available to the Chinese students.
Fresno State has agreements with Tianjin School of Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University and Gansu Agricultural University. The Jordan College has three cohorts totaling 10 students, four of whom are scheduled to graduate in Beijing this spring.
Mengying Sun, a Food Science major from Tianjin School, started the program in 2007 and came to Fresno State in 2008. “It’s important for me to receive the experience necessary to develop my knowledge in the industry,” Sun said.
Sun, who plans to work in food safety, said that the U.S. has a developed system for food safety that incorporates proper lab equipment, unlike China. She has appreciated the smaller classroom size in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition as well as the time her professors devote to helping their students.
In China, Sun said that students are told what classes to take and have a set schedule. She has enjoyed the opportunity to choose her classes and how her agenda is structured at Fresno State.
Living in a Fresno State residence hall her first year helped Sun to develop her English skills and she finds it easier to focus on studying in Fresno (population 505,000) than in the big city of Beijing (estimated population 22 million). She enjoys sporting events on campus and is the current vice president of the Food Science Club.
“The 1+2+1 Dual Degree Program is one of the premier educational opportunities currently available to Chinese university students and Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology is proud to be an active partner,” Erysian said. “The program provides a great opportunity for our students to interact with their Chinese counterparts and brings a new level of diversity to our campus.”
The program was established in 2000 through an agreement with the American Association of State Colleges and Universities and the Chinese Committee for International Education and Exchange.
Currently, 120 Chinese universities and 19 U.S. universities are involved in the program, including the San Bernardino and Humboldt campuses in the CSU system. It is the largest Sino-American exchange program, with more than 1,200 Chinese students participating to date.
(Copy by University Communications agricultural-news intern Sadie Thomas.)
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