A Message from President Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D.

Dear Kean Community,

Nǐ hǎo (hello) and happy Spring, Cougars! This was a historic week for Kean University. My senior team and I traveled to Wenzhou-Kean University for the first time during my presidency while our Government Affairs team led a delegation to Washington, D.C. for our first Kean Day on Capitol Hill. This international and national presence reflects the University’s growing profile since being designated as a national university and the state’s first urban research university. The impact of both trips will be felt for years to come.

At WKU, I was struck by the similarities between our Kean USA campuses and our China campus. We are on parallel tracks on opposite sides of the globe. The WKU research footprint is growing with more published research and grants, much the same as Kean USA. The China campus is also growing in enrollment, and on both sides of the world, our University is strongly supported by the local governments.

Meeting with Wenzhou Party Secretary Shuji Liu Xiaotao

In Wenzhou, I had the opportunity to meet with Wenzhou Party Secretary Shuji Liu Xiaotao, Wenzhou Mayor Zhang Zhenfeng, Vice Mayor Chen Yingxu and others to discuss the role of WKU as an anchor institution for their local community. I also participated in media interviews to share this vision. For the first time, I had a chance to explore the city itself and get a real sense of our partners and their history.

President Repollet poses with a group of students at WKU

On campus, I visited with students at the Spring Arts Festival and a club fair. I also attended the grand opening of the new One-Stop Center launched by the Dean of Students, Dr. Haina Zhu. Kudos to her and the rest of the WKU team for such great work.

NYU Shanghai

We also met with the leadership of NYU Shanghai to discuss a joint consortium for research. This kind of cross collaboration will allow us to solidify the impact of our institutions in the communities we serve, whether in China or the United States. We are excited about the potential of this collaboration and look forward to further discussions. Shout out to our WKU team members who worked so hard to support our delegation while we were in China: Jin Lusong, Zhu Sida, Chen Bin, Xu Kai, Wang Shu and Lu Lisu. A special thank you to my friend and Wenzhou-Kean Chairman Frank Wang Beijiao and his team for their hospitality. We look forward to returning the favor on our campus soon.

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Sincerely,

Lamont O. Repollet, Ed.D.

President