Our Far East travels

Transition

To assist with the changes in time zones for trans-Pacific flights, a stop is sometimes made in Hawaii; instead we chose to stop in Hong Kong (still a long flight from San Francisco).  We stayed with our cousin, whose family has lived there for five years. We arrived about five weeks before their return to the States. For information about that segment of our trip, visit Dr. Betty Rider’s site at www.bettyrider.com.

This blog is presented in chronological order so that you can easily follow the course of our trip through the Far East.

Prologue

The objective of this trip is to enhance relationships with Asian universities to assure success of Vision 2020: The New Gold Standard of University Performance. As we reach our sesquicentennial anniversary (150^th) through this Vision, we commit to:

• Student Success – Commit to Excellence;
• Global Relevance - Dynamic and Globally Relevant Programs;
• Distinction - Faculty Success via Clusters of Interdisciplinary Teaching and Research and Staff Success Through Talent Development;
• Impactful Engagement – Build and Sustain Vital Partnerships

Relationships with universities in Asia must relate to these goals in a manner that strategically leverages each institution’s strengths to mutually beneficial outcomes. Thus, the attributes of a relationship must illustrate the relationship is vitally necessary to be established, nurtured and sustained.

Relationship Building

Every official meal with university officials is a “banquet,” where the relationship is extended by making observations about the partner university that provides opportunities for synergy.

It is important to point out governmental programs that could support mutual goals and objectives, such as the collaborations of the National Science Foundations. Making observations about similarities between each country’s people and the role that education plays in advancing knowledge to improve the human condition are helpful to relationship enhancement. Of course, conversations about current programs or possible programs should emerge during these conversations.

There is a protocol for seating at the banquets with the most senior host sitting facing the door. The meal is plates of various foods (usually fish, fowl, meat and vegetables), from which one picks up food items to eat or accumulates them on a plate or in a bowl to mix with sauces. There is a protocol for who is served first as well — the senior guest.

The senior guest and party are toasted by the host first and then by each member of the host party over the course of the meal.  The honored guest then toasts the party as a whole or each individual depending on their preference. It is especially gratifying to the host if the guest demonstrates prowess with chopsticks (chopstick prowess can be improved by practicing with coffee beans).

Before the event ends, the host may present gifts and the honored guest may reciprocate. Warm handshakes are exchanged and the host sees the guests to their cars as a sign of honoring the guests.

The Great Wall…

…is more than 6,000 kilometers long.  It was intended to protect the Qin dynasty emperor. There are segments of the wall that can be visited by tourists and many Chinese vow to visit the Great Wall before they pass on to their next life.

When invasion was suspected or imminent, the wooden ladders from the enemy side to the precipice were burned.  These ladders were close enough to each other to produce a fiery domino effect that resulted in all ladders along the entire 6,000-kilometer expanse being burned in about one hour.

The Forbidden City…

…was occupied only by the emperor and official party and they were the only occupants of this double-walled city. So paranoid about a “Coo,” the emperor did not permit the generals into the inner sanctum. In the outer city, leading from the Hall of Preserving Harmony, is a carved single stone ramp weighing some 200 tons (400,000 pounds).

Construction required 15 years and 1 million workers to build 999 buildings containing 9,999 rooms on nearly 9 million square feet with nine gates. You guessed it; the number nine is a lucky number.

While commoners were forbidden from this city, the emperor could go wherever he desired. A commoner who laid eyes on the emperor was put to death.

When the emperor would depart, bells would signal he was turning left and drums would signal he was turning right. When both sounded, he was walking straight. This was the earliest form of the navigation systems we use today, yes?

The Temple of Heaven…

…is the location for the emperor’s biannual prayer to the “gods” for good harvests. There is a single stone, the Earthly Mount, that is in a circular mount, upon which he stood offering the good-harvest prayers.

This Altar of Heaven has three tiers representing man, earth and heaven, and has balustrades in multiples of nine representing the nine layers of heaven. This is all arranged in such a manner that the emperor’s words would be amplified off the Echo Wall so the gods had a better chance of hearing the emperors prayers for a good harvest.

Beijing University of Chemical Technology…

…is directly affiliated with the Ministry of Education and recently received a $100 million  grant from the government for innovation efforts. Their primary goal is student success, as they aspire to advance student knowledge, create positive individuals and assure socially responsible Chinese citizens.

While we no longer have significant activity in rubber research, particularly related to tire production, BUCT does. I never knew of the many destructive forces brought to bear on different rubber composites to manufacture high-quality tire products.

We had discussions about our proposed three plus two (3+2) program where their students complete three years at their institution and then come to The University of Akron for two years to finish a bachelor’s degree conferred by BUCT and a master’s degree conferred by The University of Akron. For every five students, there will be a doctoral student mentor and there will be a faculty member supervising the program. We hope to welcome 50 students in autumn 2011 and hope to have a program totaling 100 to 200 students by 2013.

Xi’an…

…is the location where all of China was first ruled by one emperor, after which there were 29 additional dynasties over more than 3,100 years. Xi’an is the easterly end of the Silk Road.

Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor, ordered the building of his mausoleum immediately upon his ascension to the throne.  This included his Terracotta Army located 40 km to the east of the city.  It is unknown how many chambers of Terracotta figures actually exist, but three chambers are now open to the public.

The most popular pit (#1) holds the 6,000 terracotta warriors who would defend the emperor in the second life. This includes horse-drawn chariots and the general of the army.  The general was always given orders by the emperor through his “chief of staff” so as to eliminate a hostile takeover. In other words, they were always separated.

The third pit holds the emperor’s headquarters for battle. When he gave orders to his general, he sent a courier to give the directions to the general. When this vault was discovered, the terracotta figures had retained their colors; so, the heads were removed and placed into specialized storage to retain the colors. The Chinese are working on developing materials that will protect the color of the terracotta when exposed to air. Perhaps this is where University of Akron ingenuity steps in with advanced coatings?

The second pit does not have much excavation, as they want the technology developed to preserve the color of the terracotta.  Nonetheless, it is known that it includes more than 80 war chariots and 1,300 terracotta warriors. The battle formations of these warriors are much more sophisticated than that found in Pit 1. More than 2,000 swords were unearthed from this pit and they contain a micro-coating of oxide with 2 percent chrome.  Interestingly, this technology wasn’t developed until recent times. Obviously they had very sophisticated casting techniques.

It is unfortunate however, that the making of the terracotta warriors resulted in the death and murder of the workers and sometimes their families in order to preserve the secrets of the pits. This is the unfortunate outcome of a superiority complex that is not the basis for peace and harmony that should be the way of the world.

By the way, we enjoyed ourselves even more in Xi’an as two faculty members from our College of Nursing joined us to visit this infamous city. They had previously been having great discussions about collaboration with Henan University — more to come later.

Giant Wild Goose Pagoda…

…is one of 16 pagodas in China and on a clear day offers a spectacular view of the city of Xi’an. This pagoda was built in 652 during the Tang Dynasty and is seven levels tall, having started with five and then, after its collapse, rebuilt with two additional levels. The pagodas were used to store Buddhist relics and writings and to worship Buddha.

In front of the pagoda is a marvelous water feature with thousands of jets of water creating various symmetrical shapes.  About every three hours, the visitors are asked to vacate the fountain, as you can walk on walkways across the fountain because the entertainment is about to begin and you could be hurt by the jets of water. We just happened to be at the fountain when this spectacular water show began and almost the entire show was captured on video. It would be spectacular to see at night.

The High-speed train…

…ride was surprisingly smooth as it travels at full throttle, very fast at more than 300 km (200 miles per hour), and was surprisingly smooth. Almost 1 million Chinese ride the more than 6,000 miles of high-speed rail daily. There is the world’s first high-speed magnetic levitation line for commercial use; although we had a lot of luggage, we weren’t classified for commercial transportation.

The most interesting aspect of this part of the trip was the countryside through which the train traveled.  We passed innumerable nuclear power plants and companies that manufactured bricks. Along the entire route was agriculture with not a single piece of land left untilled. Chinese were out in these plots laboriously tending to their crops that looked quite healthy, even in the midst of China’s worst drought. Some have referred to the high-speed rail line as China’s next Silk Road.

Kaifeng…

…was the destination of our high-speed rail ride, the city within which is Henan University. A collaboration of Henan University and The University of Akron created the Chinese Ministry of Education-endorsed Confucius Institute.  It is one of seven ancient capitals of China. Because of various wars over time, Kaifeng has been reconstructed many times and it was the most populated city in the world in the 1000s.

The entire city is in the Yellow River flood plain, much like Ohio State University’s stadium (The Shoe). Kaifeng has the world’s oldest extant Jewish community in China. Chinese dumplings are a specialty here and you must learn the special way to hold them with your chopsticks and “slurp” the broth out of them before you eat the dumpling, otherwise you burn your mouth with very-hot broth.

Henan University…

…has throughout its 100-year history, adhered to its motto of  “明德新民，止于至善 (“to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence”). It has more than 400,000 alumni and is a comprehensive university that is supported by both the Ministry of Education and the Provincial Government.

The Confucius Institute was dedicated in November 2008 at The University of Akron ( see http://www.henu.edu.cn/en/news/KongZiXueYuanJiePai.html and http://www.uakron.edu/dotAsset/594424.pdf).  Chinese week at The University of Akron this year had more than 2,000 participants, with faculty members largely responsible for the event.

Two University of Akron faculty members from the College of Nursing were also visiting Henan University to explore potential collaborations in the area of nursing practice. This discussion could result in exchanges of nursing students between the two universities; additional discussion and exploration is warranted. Given the depth and breadth of Henan University’s academic programs and the fact that it has two hospitals, there are possible collaborations with The University of Akron Health College to be created at the June 15 meeting of the Board of Trustees.

My wife Betty had the opportunity to give a talk at Henan University.  Her topic was “The Five Words for Women’s Success.”  Her talk was well attended and there were lots of questions, given that women’s rights are not well acknowledged in China. An interesting fact is that of the 14 richest women in the world, seven are Chinese. One is a land development and management magnate in Beijeing. I wonder if one of her investments was a construction site that we noted with 18 tower cranes .

I also had the opportunity to give a talk at Henan and addressed the similarities between their strategic plan and our emerging strategic plan.  The talk was titled “The University of the 21^st Century” and is posted on this blog. As we might imagine, student success is their number one priority. When asked to define the University of the 21^st Century in one simple sentence, it is the university that is “relevant, connected and productive.” I pointed out achieving these three attributes is essential for any university as outcomes that are relevant. A productive university will enhance its value to the people it serves.

Worth mentioning is the Iron Pagoda right behind Henan University. This pagoda was built in 1049. Remarkably, it has withstood six Yellow River floods and 38 earthquakes over its 1,000- year history.  It withstood all of this because it was made with structural bricks.  Amazingly, almost every brick has a Buddha or other significant character on it, and because the brick looks like iron, it is called the Iron Pagoda.

Mellinium Park (at night)…

…is a “theme park” much like Cedar Point; at night there is a magnificent show with nearly 800 performers highlighting many aspects of Chinese history. The performance is set on a lake across which are walkways and other theatrical mechanisms to give the semblance of “flying.”

Most impressive is the use of lighting to enhance colors, the authentic music and costumes. The story of the Chinese woman who was a general for decades was extraordinarily portrayed and particularly interesting, as neither the army nor the people at that time knew this to be the case.

Mellinium Park (during the day)…

…is even like a theme park, but with no rides.  Instead, entertainment of the day was demonstrated in exquisite detail and with a high degree of authenticity.

Particularly entertaining was the young acrobat who could contort her body in many unimaginable ways and the “shadow box” play that is essentially puppets performing while a narrator tells the story the puppets are acting.

It is interesting how visitors are guided throughout the park — can you imagine using the approach at The University of Akron? A young man did a remarkable job of eating fire and blowing fire as if he were a flame-thrower. I bet that hurts but there must be some way he protects his mouth from being irreparably burned.

City University of Zhengzhou (formerly known as the Brenda Institute of Technology)…

…is a relatively new university with 3,000 students. It focuses on developing the work force for the region. It has technical training and offers some associate degrees, in the technical areas one would expect. The city wanted such an institution of higher education and relocated a high school that became the site of the City University of Zhengzhou. I thought this epitomized the definition of a private-public partnership because I thought the city “gave” the land and buildings to the SIAS Group, Inc. that owns and manages SIAS International University. I later learned the SIAS group paid the city for the property; nonetheless, this is a partnership much like we describe in our evolving strategic plan, Vision 2020:  The New Gold Standard of University Performance.

In any event, I had the opportunity to participate in this university’s first Homecoming. It was a tremendous exhibition of student talent that followed many speeches by dignitaries.  We prepared an eight-minute speech and when I saw what was going on, I decided to shorten it. I picked three paragraphs that I thought worked together, and after the first paragraph I released the next five pages from my grasp, allowing them to fly across the stage in the wind. The crowd gasped, at which point I told them I was shortening my address, to which there was resounding applause. I then read a paragraph, let loose another five pages, and read the final paragraph. I still had three pages left and I could only hope I was not discarding any of the pages containing the final paragraph.

Lula Washington, a well-known choreographer later stated that my pages “danced across the stage” in honor of the students. The evening ended with an outstanding fireworks display at about 10 p.m., after which there was another 50-minute drive to Xinzheng. Needless to say, we were exhausted that night, having driven that afternoon from Kaifeng (a two-hour cross-country drive).

SIAS International University…

…is a university where the best of the East meets the best of the West to produce culturally competent and literate citizens for the 21^st century. It is the only privately owned university in China, while it is affiliated with Zhengzhou University.

I have always wondered what it would be like to start a university from scratch. Shawn Chen, its chief executive officer, had exactly that opportunity and it is beautiful and marvelous in concept.  Sections of the campus give the effect of being in Italy, Europe, the United States and China, to name a few. This helps every international student feel comfortable in this comprehensive university environment.

We saw their second homecoming parade, including many student performances along the parade route. We were treated to marvelous food dishes of many varieties over the several days we were at SIAS.

When I met with the chief executive officer, and typically when I met with university presidents, one sat in a very large leather chair, set in either a semicircle or circle.  Usually there was a video introducing the university followed by an official welcome and statement of appreciation for cooperation and a request for increased collaboration. Thereafter, I had the opportunity to make an official statement, ratify the importance of our collaboration, and respond to the request for increased collaboration. After those formalities, the conversations became more relaxed and less “official.” This formal interaction and development of relationships is very important to the Asian cultures.

We will work with SIAS International University to:

1.  Provide mid-level administrators experience working at a Western university;

2.  Secure University of Akron students to attend SIAS International University — this will probably work best if students can visit in pairs; and

3.  Provide SIAS students the opportunity to study at The University of Akron. Of course, logistics need to be worked out, as would course equivalencies, etc.  The largest barrier to exchange is the time lost taking coursework at the home institution, which is why developing faculty-determined articulation agreements is likely the way to increase the numbers of students studying abroad during a one- or two-semester immersion experience.

I had the honor of providing the commencement address.  There were more than 5,000 graduates (pictured above). I was surprised how few parents and relatives were in attendance and learned that family members celebrate acceptance into and moving into the university, as that is the “big” achievement. The expectation is that with acceptance to university, there should be no difficulty completing the bachelor’s degree.

We prepared a 10 to 12-minute address. As the address was translated into Chinese in the program, I probably should have reduced the actual talk to three minutes. An interesting thing happens when addressing these students — there was a lot of “background” as they explained to each other in Chinese what was  being said by the English-speaking presenter.

South Korea…

…is sustained by the kimchee that is served at every meal.  It is cabbage that is “pickled” with a wide variety of tastes, typically spicy. Our understanding is that once made, it becomes better with age. Meals were served in many more and smaller helpings of a wide variety of meats and vegetables. It was a bit difficult to eat squid and octopus, particularly imagining the level of digestibility of those particular foods. Interesting culinary experiences, nonetheless.

We met with alumni who are at executive-level positions at Samsung and LG, or was that LG and Samsung. I feel like I must give them equal treatment as they are friendly competitors. Our alumni are doing some remarkable things at these two companies. They are involved in creating new methods of colorizing, bonding and fabricating different types of polymers. They are involved in developing next-generation lithium ion batteries (LG) so electric cars will be able to travel more than about 50 miles on a single charge. We drove the Chevy Volt — how about that for the name of an electric car — and it does have the acceleration one would expect from a car.  They are selling so well that production is being doubled.

We had two banquets (dinners) with alumni. They were interested in how the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering is doing and were curious about adaptations or adjustment in programs to respond to changes in the industry.  We discussed those adjustments (see Taiwan comments) and they were pleased to learn of our changing strategies. They were particularly interested in interdisciplinary activities that would link to biomedical and biomolecular engineering, business administration, licensing and commercialization, and new company formation. They also wanted to know how they can help assure more Korean students attend The University of Akron. We pledged to be in more constant contact to facilitate their recruiting students to Akron.

Yonsei University…

…is a private Christian university founded in 1885 — origins that are similar to The University of Akron’s own start as Buchtel College through its affiliation with the Universalist Church. At Yonsei, they have a program that provides scholarships to UA students to be immersed in the Korean culture for a semester while being an English-speaking “buddy” with one of their students. This is what they call their Global Village concept because all of these students reside in one residence hall.

We met with three students who will arrive at The University of Akron in the autumn for a semester of study. They were excited, although anxious, about their first trip out of the country. They were anxious about making friends, fitting in and getting from the airport to the University. I e-mailed the questions to my UA colleagues and will forward the answers to their questions to their director of international studies to distribute to those students. Surprisingly, a Yonsei University student who had the day before returned from a semester at The University of Akron was with this group. She absolutely “loved” her experience and indicated she would recommend it for every Yonsei student. Thank you University of Akron colleagues for making our international students feel welcome and giving them a wonderful in and out of the classroom experience.

Taiwan…

…is visited by a large number of Chinese, which is driving the price of everything higher. We stayed at a Howard International Civil Service Hotel that had great rooms with good air conditioning.

I had the chance to reconnect with my first doctoral graduate from Texas A&M University. He  is now a professor at Taiwan Normal University, where he has been department chair, dean and vice president for student affairs. He is now teaching and conducting research.

We dined at the World Trade Center of Taipei — at one point in time the tallest building in the world. On Saturday and Sunday there is a flower market and a Jade market, both located underneath a freeway. On weekends, the cars typically parked here have to move so these markets can set up and sell their goods. We had a wonderful vegetarian luncheon in a restaurant that was on the third floor. It seems like the restaurants the natives visit in these Asian countries are on the second floor or higher; and not at street-level, which is readily visible to visitors.

We had wonderful interactions with alumni who formed the first international alumni association last autumn (more than 100 members). I had the opportunity to interact with them about the University and promised, “We’ll be Back” to continue to support them as they represent The University of Akron in Asia. We had productive discussions about their companies serving as co-op or internship or short-term employment opportunities, particularly to help educate their younger employees about the culture of doing business in Asia.

When asked what are we doing to keep the College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering number one in the world, I shared our many initiatives. I told them of our focus on biomaterials as well as energy capture and storage, in addition to carbon sequestration. I pointed out that the Austen Bioinnovation Institute will also provide opportunities for collaboration, including opportunities that might emerge from bio-devices, wound-healing and materials for orthopedics.

In conclusion…

…this was a great trip for The University of Akron.  Reconnections were made with distinguished alumni.  Future opportunities were created for students to intern, co-op or to possibly be employed. Faculty exchanges are possible as well. There is the tremendous energy of our alumni in Asia and we should find ways to use their energies and interests. Certainly, we should visit them more often.  Perhaps we can have a reunion of them in the U.S.

It is clear to me we need an individual at the University focused on our Asian agenda.

Recruitment of international students to our programs must be a significant component of our global strategy. It must be a significant component of our enrollment strategy. I think we should plan to have at least 1,000 Asian students studying on our campus by 2020 at the latest. This means we must assure we have a diverse faculty and staff on our campus. We must plan for serving this community via our student engagement and success strategies. We must aspire to assure every student has a remarkable experience at The University of Akron.

Until…

….the next international excursion.

Best wishes and warmest regards,

Mike Sherman.

Address at Henan University in Kaifang

Commencement address at SIAS International University