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SmallerMUNCIE, Ind. - Deyang municipal government officials selected Ball State University and Muncie to host an extensive international training program.
The Deyang Project brought 10 Chinese municipal government leaders from Muncie’s sister city of Deyang to study on campus and in the city for eight weeks.
“The participants took auditing classes on campus, shadowed city and county officials on the job and lived with host families,” said Carol King-Reed, Deyang Project coordinator. “This is a first for such an expansive program. Two months allowed them to delve deeper into their studies, our culture and learn what real Americans are truly like.”
The participants, whose trips were paid for by the Deyang government, are tomorrow’s leaders of the burgeoning city of 3 million people, King-Reed said. They are experts in economics, world trade, foreign investment and law.
“Their level of professionalism and expertise is quite high,” King-Reed said. “They were selected from more than 200 applicants.”
Ball State and Muncie were selected because of the university’s experience of hosting similar programs for the last 20 years, said Jae Park, director of Ball State’s Far East Asia Programs. Having a chamber of commerce and a mayor’s office that have a long history of supporting such programs also helped.
“The Chinese contingent visited several cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati,” Park said. “They have visited Muncie several times since becoming our sister city in 1994 and have seen our commitment to develop international relationships firsthand.”
This project also illuminated how much Indiana’s trade with China is growing and how China’s impact on the global economy will continue to grow, Park said.
“To have these officials receive training here is very significant for the university, our city and our state,” Park said. “By working together, the university and local government ensured our guests received the right kind of training. This will help us expand this program to involve other organizations and other countries in the future.”
In past visits, foreign guests commented how Muncie businesses and residents welcomed them with open arms, Park said. So, finding cordial host families was a key element of the project.
By Layne Cameron, Media Relations ManagerThe Deyang Project brought 10 Chinese municipal government leaders from Muncie’s sister city of Deyang to study on campus and in the city for eight weeks.
“The participants took auditing classes on campus, shadowed city and county officials on the job and lived with host families,” said Carol King-Reed, Deyang Project coordinator. “This is a first for such an expansive program. Two months allowed them to delve deeper into their studies, our culture and learn what real Americans are truly like.”
The participants, whose trips were paid for by the Deyang government, are tomorrow’s leaders of the burgeoning city of 3 million people, King-Reed said. They are experts in economics, world trade, foreign investment and law.
“Their level of professionalism and expertise is quite high,” King-Reed said. “They were selected from more than 200 applicants.”
Ball State and Muncie were selected because of the university’s experience of hosting similar programs for the last 20 years, said Jae Park, director of Ball State’s Far East Asia Programs. Having a chamber of commerce and a mayor’s office that have a long history of supporting such programs also helped.
“The Chinese contingent visited several cities such as New York, Washington, D.C., and Cincinnati,” Park said. “They have visited Muncie several times since becoming our sister city in 1994 and have seen our commitment to develop international relationships firsthand.”
This project also illuminated how much Indiana’s trade with China is growing and how China’s impact on the global economy will continue to grow, Park said.
“To have these officials receive training here is very significant for the university, our city and our state,” Park said. “By working together, the university and local government ensured our guests received the right kind of training. This will help us expand this program to involve other organizations and other countries in the future.”
In past visits, foreign guests commented how Muncie businesses and residents welcomed them with open arms, Park said. So, finding cordial host families was a key element of the project.
