Four students from the earthquake-ravaged region of China arrived at SUNY Oswego in August under a New York humanitarian initiative that will bring a total of 150 Chinese students to State University campuses for 2008-09.

"We are delighted to take part in this initiative by Gov. David Paterson and the State University which ties in so well to our mission and our desire to work for solutions to the challenges of our time," said President Deborah F. Stanley.

The four undergraduates, ranging in age from 20 to 22, will be able to continue their studies while their home universities rebuild in the Sichuan Province of western China. They have committed to return home next summer to help restore the economy and infrastructure that the May earthquake crippled.

The students, Jian Xu from Sichuan Agriculture University, Jian Xie from Xihua University, Lili Jiang from Sichuan University, and Meng Tu from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics are living in Hart Hall Global Living and Learning.

"We hope to provide a welcoming and nurturing academic and cultural experience to these students who have so recently experienced such devastation, and we look forward to the contributions they can make as guests in our college community," Stanley said.

The initiative is supported by a SUNY philanthropic drive. The Chinese students were selected for this program through a careful review of their academic performance and assessment of their English language skills by a team of eight English language teachers in China.

SUNY Oswego has longstanding relationships in China and expanded them in recent years to include exchange agreements with seven Chinese universities in Beijing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Wenzhou and Wuhan.

-- Julie Harrison Blissert

PHOTO CAPTION:
The aftermath of May earthquakes in the Sichuan Province of China.



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