Multilateral cooperation to promote Liberal Arts

• Academic exchange, mutual benefit – college cooperation

On June 22^nd, Yuan Sheng, Director of the School of Media and Art Design, Bai Linmiao, Director of the Department of New Online Media, Professor Ren Jinghua, and Professor Yan Huan from Wenzhou Business College (WZBC) visited WKU campus for academic exchanges with our Communication major. Raquel Stuart, Acting Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, Abbigail Ajim, Professor of Communication, and Evangeline, Assistant to the Dean, warmly welcomed the guests.

During the meeting, professors from both schools exchanged ideas on the curriculum design of the Communication major and talent-training program. Both sides agreed that the media-related majors in WZBC are similar to the ones in other Chinese traditional universities, which pay more attention to the cultivation of professional skills. For example, their major courses include Online News Editing, Basic Video Editing, Public Opinion Analysis, etc. WKU’s Communication major, on the other hand, focuses more on liberal arts education and the cultivation of independent study abilities. The representatives of WZBC also affirmed the courses such as World Literature, Worlds of History, and Earth Sciences in our four-year plan. They also suggested that it was important for contemporary college students to equip themselves with global perspectives and critical thinking. During the conversation, our college representatives mentioned that we are building several laboratories to improve teaching. Director Bai also invited us to visit the facilities of WZBC’s School of Media and Art Design the next day to achieve mutual development during the exchange.

In the afternoon on June 23^rd, representatives from WKU’s CLA visited the VR lab, communication computer lab, and photography studio of the School of Media and Art Design of WZBC. Students’ excellent short video works from both universities were demonstrated and appreciated as well. The visit not only showcased the academic achievements and experience of WKU CLA but also offered an opportunity to expand its influence outside the campus. At the same time, the visit also provided a platform for the communication between WZBC and WKU, helping both universities make progress during communication and practices as well as providing more academic exchange opportunities for students. Both schools also hope to have more in-depth exchanges on teaching, research, and student activities in the future.

• Transferring talents, bilateral development – institution-enterprise cooperation

In order to thoroughly implement the spirit of the National Education Conference, Wenzhou-Kean University has been deepening the cooperation between institutions and enterprises, and the integration between production and education. WKU also actively explores the methodology of systematically cultivating skilled talents to meet the needs of social development. On the morning of June 25^th, Raquel Stuart, Acting Associate Dean, Amrita Kaur, Professor of Psychology, and Evangeline, Assistant to the Dean, visited Wenzhou Panhealth Medical Center and held an exchange meeting.

During the meeting, an in-depth discussion on institution-enterprise cooperation and talent transportation was carried out and the conference reached a mutual consensus. Lu Qiong, Secretary of the Party committee of Panhealth Medical Center, said that students majoring in psychology and communication are very suitable to do internships at corresponding departments and brand centers of the hospital, and English majors can also engage in relevant interpretation and translation internships projects. The representatives of WKU CLA also stated that they will create better development platform for CLA students to promote high-quality employment for students, provide more social practice opportunities for them.

In the future, the two sides will establish a long-term contact mechanism. WKU and Panhealth Medical center will strive for the leap-forward development of school-enterprise cooperation through further discussion and in-depth understanding of the advantages of both sides.

• Rooted in China, spreading Chinese culture – school-local cooperation

In order to promote the culture of Kunqu in Wenzhou and strengthen the cultural construction of College of Liberal Arts, on June 23rd, Prof. Mieke Paulsen Bahmer, Prof. Svetlana Vikhnevich, and Ms. Evangeline Xiang were invited to participate in the cultural event “Millennial travel, timeless Yongkun” which was co-organized by Zhejiang Press Group and Wenzhou Newspaper Group.

As early as many years ago in the Kunqu research, President Xi Jinping emphasized that “Yongjia has a deep cultural heritage and rich cultural deposit. So in the accelerating economic development, we should actively learn from historical experiences, tap the cultural potential, make full use of our advantages, and focus on transforming the regional cultural resources into real cultural productivity.” Prof. Bahmer and Prof. Vikhnevich, who have been in China for many years, have always been attracted by Chinese traditional culture. The exquisite Yongkun opera costumes and the skillful moves also greatly impressed the professors. Mieke Paulsen Bahmer, a professor of art history, compared Yongkun with ancient Roman opera and Greek theatre from a professional point of view. She said that Kunqu has a long history, is more storytelling, and its artistic expressions strike a deeper chord in the hearts of the people. Professor Svetlana Vikhnevich, who has been researching public speaking, pointed out that Kunqu performances have not only lyrical content but also rich body language and eye contact with the audience, which enhances the infectiousness of Kunqu.

After the event, Prof. Bahmer and Prof. Vikhnevich expressed their pleasure to participate in this event. They also encouraged the WKU students from all over China to participate in more cultural activities and experience different cultures.

College of Liberal Arts has been committed to enriching teaching methods, improving students’ professional skills, and creating more opportunities for learning, communication, and practicing. We will also follow the steps of development of Wenzhou-Kean University and continuously inject college power into the development of the university. Currently, during the recruitment season, CLA will also actively carry out enrollment publicity and consultation work, combing the advantages of various majors and improving the strength of the college. We strive to create a sound environment for WKU to better absorb talents nationwide.

Auther | Han Lu

Translation | Shang Haoyu, Tang Feng, Zhang Wenxuan