Colorado State University President Penley Visits China for International Forum, Relationship-Building

Colorado State University President Larry Penley is visiting China this week to take part in the 100th anniversary celebration of that nation’s leading agricultural university – and to explore possibilities for enhancing and establishing relationships with top-tier Chinese universities for potential student exchanges, research collaborations and other partnership opportunities.

Joining Penley on the trip are Colorado State’s Vice Provost for Graduate Studies Peter Dorhout, Director of Major Gifts Susan Latimer and alumnus Kent Mao.

China Agricultural University is holding a centennial celebration this month to mark its century of service to agricultural education, research, extension and service. The institution invited leaders from its sister universities around the world, including Penley, to take part in the World University Presidential Forum. China Agricultural University is is covering all registration and accommodation costs for participants. Penley will speak at the Forum about the model of the 21st century land-grant university and its role in addressing great global challenges.

While in China, the Colorado State University delegation is also visiting with officials at Beijing Normal University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua University, Tianjin University, and the Chinese Ministers of Education and of Agriculture. The aim of these meetings is to foster relationships with educational institutions in China and explore possibilities for creating student and faculty exchange programs, pursuing joint research projects and more.

Penley led the creation of an Arizona State University Master’s of Business Administration degree program in Shanghai. He has had a longstanding commitment to international education and study-abroad opportunities, having served as a visiting faculty member in Mexico and Venezuela and as a board member for an international exchange program in Toulouse, France.

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