On May 20, 2017, led by their teacher Patricia Keehley, MPA students of the South Utah University visited our school and exchanged ideas with our students of 2016 MPA. Teacher Keehley and the visiting students were welcomed warmly.
At first, Li Huiping, a teacher of the MPA Center, introduced Teacher Keehley and the visiting students to our students and then arranged for all the students to discuss in groups.
Students discussed and exchanged ideas in a warm atmosphere
The students of both schools had a lively discussion on topics such as the similarities and differences between Sino-US MPA admission criteria, teaching methods, curriculum and international exchange opportunities; the civil service system and the tax system between China and the U.S; and Sino-US relations. After that, the students in each group expressed their willingness to mount the platform to share the topics they discussed and the insights they received from the discussions.
The student Wu Wenjie and the police officer Eldan Gibb shared their insights with the students
"On the morning of May 20th, we had the honor to make face-to-face communication with MPA students and teachers from Utah, US. Eldan Gibb, a police officer from the DIXIE State University police station in St Georges, Utah, joined in our discussion group. In our communication, we discussed the similarities and differences between the responsibilities taken by the police in our two countries. Through this exchange, we have a better understanding of the differences in the responsibilities of civil servants who perform police duties. We learn that in the American campus, the police station of the school takes up heavy responsibility to protect the safety of teachers and students. In the U.S, many MPA students complete their courses through online learning and examination, and attend centralized classes only a few times a year. Eldan also shared with us the differences in what he had seen and felt in China over the last two weeks, and we also talked about our experience in learning MPA.
In nearly 2 hours of exchange activities, the students of the two countries expressed their opinions actively, sharing ideas and enabling active thinking. With this discussion, we have expanded our horizon and had a deeper reflection on the MPA study. It is our honor to have such a chance to communicate with international students. We also hope to have the opportunity to participate in more activities like this."
- Wu Wenjie, 2016252059
Yang Xiaojie and Thomas shared their feelings with the students
"The American student in our group is a manager of an American retail store. He plans to be a civil servant and is currently doing practical work related to environmental protection. He feels that American civil servants are more concerned about the interests of the public, and that Chinese civil servants think more of the interests of the state. He believes that in China, a strong government can effectively implement the policy of energy conservation and environmental protection, and the United States should strengthen it in this regard."
- Yang Xiaojie, 2016252064
Pan Shiqi and Tricia shared their feelings with the students
“Chinese on-job graduate students attend class in the campus on weekends, while American students may choose to attend class in the campus or attend lectures online at home on weekends.
Some of Chinese students work in the government organizations, and in order to better enhance the ability to serve the public, the organizations fund the public officials for the study of MPA. MostAmerican students decide to study MPA program themselves to improve their management ability and broaden their career promotion channels.
China’s tax bureau and the IRS of the U.S. have the same point: they both pay more attention to large enterprises with high tax revenues
In spite of some differences between us, which have nothing to do with nationality, skin color or gender, we still have a lot of common points in a sense. We are the same people."
- Pan Shiqi 2016252038
Finally, Mi JeongShin, a teacher of our college, talked about the relationship between China and South Korea and North Koreawe were interested in, concluding the exchange activity.
Throughthis activity, the students are surprised to find that they have so many common points although they are in different countriesin both ends of the earth, and that they all passionately and insistently strive to make their dreams come true. After the event, the students hope to participate in similar activities and meet more international friends in future.
Group photo of this exchange activity
The MPA Center has always made unremitting efforts to build an international platform for the students and expand theirinternational outlook. This activity is only one of the highlights in many exchange activities. We believe that with the joint efforts of teachers and students, more international friends will come to our school, and more of our students will visit foreign schools to show what MPA students of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics are like!