Arcadia hosted a delegation from the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in New York on July 25 to showcase the partnership the University has with China’s Jiangsu University. 

The delegation included Counselor Yougen Yu, a high-ranking officer in the consulate in charge of education-related issues and exchange programs between the U.S. and China, and consuls Xiaoyu Yang and Qilun Qin. 

President Ajay Nair, Provost Jeff Rutenbeck, Xizhong Zheng, professor of Mathematics, Alison LaLond Wyant, executive director of the Division of Civic and Global Engagement, and Scott Terry, director of Global Engagement, met with the delegation in the morning to discuss the partnership and explore additional collaborations with Chinese institutions . After, the delegation met with nine of the 11 current students in the program from Jiangsu to discuss their experience at Arcadia University. 

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting local students and faculty here at Arcadia,” said Qi Han ’24, an Actuarial Science major. “Everyone is really friendly, kind, and patient with me when I don’t fully understand the English language. My plan is to attend graduate school after graduation, but I’m not completely sure yet.”

Lejun Shen ’24, also an Actuarial Science major, said she has enjoyed learning about the culture here in America while studying at Arcadia. 

“It’s so different from China,” said Shen. “I’m planning on going back to China after graduation because I miss my family. After that, I’m not sure what will be next.” 

Arcadia and Jiangsu have held this partnership since 2011. Through the program, students can earn bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics from both institutions. Students usually complete two or three years at Jiangsu and then finish their degrees at Arcadia. 

Since 2013, when the first Jiangsu student came to Arcadia, they have had a significant impact on the Arcadia community. They have created clubs, worked to strengthen cultural awareness, and infused cultural perspectives into our students, faculty, and staff.

Currently, there are 11 students from Jiangsu studying at Arcadia. Eight are new students living in university housing and taking English classes on campus. 

One of the new students, Xingyu You (Selina) ’25, a Mathematics major, said she chose to come to Arcadia because she heard positive reports about the program.

“This will help me learn more about different cultures and broaden my overall knowledge,” she said. “I’m also excited for the classes and the extracurricular activities offered by the university. All of this will surely have a lifelong impact on me.”