On October 18th, the School of International Education, together with the School of Finance and Tourism, held the opening ceremony of the Sino-US Vocational Education Language and Cultural Exchange Program with Madison Area Technical College via video. Dr. Jeff Bradshaw, Vice President of Madison Area Technical College, Dr. Sun Xiaoyi, teacher of Chinese Language, Qin Jingjun, Dean of School of International Education, Associate Professor Zheng Linjing, Director of Business English Teaching and Research Section of School of Finance and Tourism, and student representatives attended the opening ceremony.

The Sino-US vocational education language and culture exchange program is an online student exchange program based on the cooperation framework agreement between SXPI and Madison Area Technical College. As the COVID-19 pandemic hindered personnel exchanges, the two schools made innovations. The project was planned for one semester in advance. Students introduced local culture and customs through video and online communication, so as to promote the language and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

Dr. Jeff Bradshaw, Vice president of Madison Area Technical College, said in his speech that Internet technology promoted people's communication and interaction, which was an important means of international educational exchange. He hoped that students from both schools could overcome the barrier of jet lag and make good use of the online communication and learning platform.

Qin Jingjun, Dean of the School of International Education, thanked Vice President Jeff and teachers of both sides for their efforts in the smooth implementation of the project. After introducing the basic information of the school, he said that this program was an innovative inter-school exchange activity held by the two schools during the difficult period of the COVID-19. The project provided an opportunity for students to learn about different cultures and languages. He hoped that students would cherish the opportunity, actively participate in the exchange, improve their foreign language skills, understand each other's culture, and enhance friendship.