The College of Extended University’s Global Education Institute (GEI) recently hosted a virtual welcome ceremony for students and administrators from Nanjing Agricultural University in China.
The Oct. 16 event on Zoom marked the kick off of the Online Student Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program (SIELP), which was changed to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was the program’s first cohort this year.
More than 800 international students from over 40 universities have participated in SIELP in the past five years at Cal Poly Pomona.
This year’s program has featured themed lectures, workshops, panel discussions, guest speaker sessions, online debates, interactive activities with American students, and a final presentation. It was done in collaboration with the College of Business Administration, The Collins College of Hospitality Management, the College of Education and Integrative Studies, the Innovation Idea Lab (iLab), Bronco LEAD, the Office of Admissions, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, an investment company and a law firm, among others. The presenters included five Cal Poly Pomona faculty members and four administrators, as well as other speakers from off campus.
At the ceremony, Dean Erik Rolland welcomed the students and acknowledged the long-term collaborative partnership between Nanjing Agricultural University (NAU) and Cal Poly Pomona.
Professor Wu Lei, vice dean of the College of Science at NAU, recognized GEI’s effort in offering SIELP programs to NAU students in the past and emphasized that SIELP would not only expand students’ global perspectives, but also promote the internationalization of the College of Science at NAU.
Lisa Xue, director of GEI, complimented NAU students for their strong desire to learn by sacrificing their weekend time to participate in the online SIELP. Lisa concluded the event by emphasizing that the pandemic will not stop global learning.
The GEI team expects to host about 300 international students through February from three partner institutions in China.