At 9:00 p.m. Beijing time on July 12, the first Guizhou- Nebraska Collegiate Presidents’ Forum & Future School Partnerships Conference was held in Room 1103 of Runze Building. The forum was co-hosted by Bellevue University (USA) and Guizhou Vocational and Technical College of Water Resources and Hydropower, with participation from institutions such as College of Saint Mary, Montserrat College of Art, Iowa Western Community College, Metropolitan Community College, and Western Nebraska Community College from the US side, as well as Guizhou Medical University, Guiyang Preschool Education College, Guizhou Equipment Manufacturing Polytechnic , Guizhou Nursing Vocational College, and Guizhou Vocational College of Culture and Tourism from the Chinese side. Nearly 60 university presidents and heads of international programs from both Nebraska and Guizhou attended the conference virtually. Cheng Xiaohui, President of Guizhou Vocational and Technical College of Water Resources and Hydropower, and Zhang Yugang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, attended the forum.
Onsite at the college's venue
Group photo taken online
During the forum, Mary Hawkins, President of Bellevue University, and Cheng Xiaohui, President of Guizhou Vocational and Technical College of Water Resources and Hydropower, delivered speeches to representatives.
In her speech, Mary Hawkins highlighted the longstanding friendship between Guizhou Province and Nebraska, emphasizing the strong cooperative relationship between Bellevue University and Guizhou Vocational and Technical College of Water Resources and Hydropower. She expressed hope that this cooperation would become even closer in the future, yielding more fruitful results.
Mary Hawkins, President of Bellevue University (far left), delivering her speech
Cheng Xiaohui reflected on the history of collaboration between her college and Bellevue University, praising President Mary Hawkins not only as a valuable partner but also as a key liaison maintaining the friendly relationship between Guizhou and Nebraska. She also acknowledged Hawkins' role in facilitating the successful visit of a Guizhou foreign affairs delegation to Nebraska and Bellevue University last year, which further strengthened ties between the two regions. Cheng expressed hope for deeper cooperation between institutions in Guizhou and Nebraska in areas such as student exchanges, faculty visits, and collaborative projects, looking forward to even closer partnerships and future achievements.
President Cheng Xiaohui delivering her speech
Following the speeches, representatives from both Chinese and American universities introduced their institutions and international exchange programs, expressing a desire to expand their global networks.
Speeches from various representatives included:
Zeng Zhu, Vice President of Guizhou Medical University
Arlis Vargas, Coordinator of International Student Enrollment at Iowa Western Community College
Jiang Zhixia, President of Guizhou Nursing Vocational College (photo provided by the nursing college)
Andrea Butler, Asst. Vice President of Enrollment Services of College of Saint Mary
Zhai Lihong, President of Guiyang Preschool Education College
Brian H. Pellinen, President of Montserrat College of Art
Peyton King, PDSO and Coordinator of International Student Services at Metropolitan Community College
Li Xiuli, Vice President of Guizhou Equipment Manufacturing Polytechnic (photo provided by the college)
Zhu Xiaozhou, President of Guizhou Vocational College of Culture and Tourism (photo provided by the culture and tourism college)
Luke Stobel, Executive Director of Student Success at Western Nebraska Community College
The forum fostered mutual understanding and strengthened friendships among the participating institutions, making a positive contribution to the collaboration between Chinese and American universities and to the friendly relations between Guizhou Province and the state of Nebraska. It also injected new vitality into cultural exchange and mutual learning between China and the US.