Editor: Although being fully absorbed in the development of the newly founded college, Prof. Kwok Siu Tong, world prestigious historian and essay writer, keeps up his effort in writing - he writes column essays regularly for the Hong Kong Economic Journal; he insists in writing two open letters to parents every semester. Other than that, the following statistic can show his heavy responsibilities: 3,000 meetings, more than 1,000 visitors, nearly 100 college activities, tours to more than 10 provinces in China for parent meetings, etc. May 2007, he was in Minnesota, US, to have cooperation negotiation with several colleges there.
Liberal Education in China
May 2007, Prof. Kwok Siu Tong was invited to visit the Minnesota Private College Council. The Council is consisted of 18 experienced liberal arts colleges, some of which have a history of more than 150 years. Six among these colleges have established cooperation relations with UIC and some of the rest are to be negotiated.
Trace Back to the Origin: Liberal Arts Education
The term liberal in liberal arts is from the Latin word liberalis, meaning "appropriate for free men", and they were contrasted with the servile arts. The liberal arts thus initially represented the kinds of skills and general knowledge needed by the elite echelon of society, whereas the servile arts represented specialized tradesman skills and knowledge needed by persons who were employed by the elite.
Liberal Education gradually comes to mean college education in modern academy. Liberal Education is intended to provide general knowledge and general intellectual skills rather than more specialized occupational, scientific, or artistic skills. It “empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement” through the study of art, history, philosophy, humanistic, social science and natural science.
Prof. Kwok told the reporter that during his trip to Minnesota, he visited nearly ten universities and colleges including Saint John’s University, Hamline University, Bethany Lutheran College, College of Saint Scholastica, Augsburg College, and Concordia College. He found that liberal art colleges in the US are mostly small elite colleges that with less than a thousand students in some of them. They attach great importance to students’ development in moral, personality, thinking and vision, and emphasize interdisciplinary study.
Innovation: Liberal Arts College – UIC
The mission of UIC is to create the first liberal arts college in China with a new educational model. In this sense UIC is in line with the American liberal arts college tradition.
Prof. Kwok said that through the communication with American colleges, he found that UIC shared similar understanding in basic educational concepts with them. The American colleges were most interested in the mission of UIC that to find a new educational model for China and to develop innovative internationalized liberal arts education that suitable for the Chinese society.
According to Prof. Kwok, the American colleges were very interested in the new concepts of UIC, for instance, the Whole Person Education, Four-Point Interaction, Parent Network, Experiential Study, etc. They had been practicing some of these concepts, yet hadn’t summarized systematically like UIC. For example, they are one step behind UIC in some aspects of the Whole Person Education; they had been trying to establish a four-point education student-college-parent-society network, but failed to form a conforming system. Besides, in their opinion, it was a great approach to promote liberal education by encouraging students to accomplish self-learning and life-long learning through experiential study.
During his trip to the United States, Prof. Kwok made speeches and held seminars in each college he visited. The responses were overwhelming. Several colleges had started to draft student exchange agreements with UIC, and more than 10 different cooperation projects were under negotiation.
Network: Minnesota US and China
The Former Governor of Minnesota extended his warm welcome and introduced Mr. Tony Lorusso, Director of Minnesota Trade Office to Prof. Kwok.
Mr. Lorusso considered the visit of Prof. Kwok not only a signal of academic exchange and cooperation between Minnesota and UIC, but also a symbol of holistic cooperation between Minnesota and China in society, economy and culture. He hoped that through constant communication, holistic cooperation between Minnesota and China can be further enhanced on the basic of educational cooperation.
According to Prof. Kwok, UIC will enroll students from 16 provinces from this year on, which means the parent network UIC is building will stretch out to 16 provinces in China. Minnesota hopes to find more cooperation opportunities with China through the UIC network. Correspondingly, UIC can benefit from the Minnesota network in finding more opportunities for students in further study, internship and employment.
Report by: Emily Wu/ Christy Zhao
Development and Public Relations Office
With Vice President and Department Chair of Polytechnic University of New York
With Director, Division of Institutional Advancement, Saint John’s University
President of Gustavus Adolphus College Presenting Gift
A Seminar at Gustavus College
Welcoming Concert at Bethany Lutheran College
Speech in Hamline University
With Minnesota Committee on Foreign Relations
With Director of Minnesota Trade Office
Exchanging gifts with Director of Minnesota Trade Office
Speech to Minnesota Private College Council
With Director of University Relations, Hamline University
Speech at Augsburg College
Speech at Concordia College
With President of College of Saint Scholastica
In front of the main building of College of Saint Scholastica
