Roger Di Paolo, editor of the Record-Courier, addresses
delegates from the College of Literature and Journalism
of Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, who toured the
Record Publishing offices as part of a visit to Kent State
University arranged through the College of Communication
and Information and School of Communication Studies.

(Photo credit: Steve Wiandt, courtesy of Record
Publishing)

Kent State University’s College of Communication and Information and its School of Communication Studies hosted four student delegates and three administrators from Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, to experience the everyday life of a communication studies student.

From Oct. 5-17, Sichuan University students Jia Jia, Xueying Song, Mengyao Tian and Yuhong Xia, and administrators Xia Chen, Ph.D.; Qilin Fu, Ph.D.; and Yanli He, Ph.D., got a chance to experience Kent culture, Kent State’s School of Communication Studies culture and the hospitality of Ohio.

Miao Liu, the international program advisor for Kent State’s School of Communication Studies, coordinated the trip for the Chinese students and administrators. Throughout their two-week visit, the students enjoyed a campus tour, shopping, a tour of the Record Courier news publication office, an excursion to Cleveland, a concert, classes within the College of Communication and Information, such as Communication and Influence, Freedom of Speech and Principles of Public Relations, as well as classes in the Department of English.

The students were very excited about the coursework and everything else the School of Communication Studies had to offer.

“The School of Communication Studies has been so generous in so many aspects,” says Song, who goes by the American name Christine. “From the hospitality to the classes we took, they made it very enjoyable. The teachers were very friendly to us. They gave us a lot of guidance. Not to mention the accommodation at the Kent State Hotel! We had no idea about this place, and they offered a lot of help.”

Although very different from China, the students agreed Ohio had much to enjoy, including the unique black squirrels, the beautiful autumn trees near Taylor Hall and the friendly student body.

“The life here – it is like a postcard!” says Tian, also known as Karen. “People live in a very peaceful atmosphere. I really am enjoying it.”

Pictured (from left to right) are Matt Rollyson, assistant
dean; LuEtt Hanson, Ph.D. associate dean; and Amy
Reynolds, Ph.D., dean of Kent State's College of
Communication and Information; with Sichuan University
delegation administrators Qilin Fu, Ph.D., Yanli He, Ph.D.,
and Xia Chen, Ph.D.

The students noted some major differences were evident when discussing Sichuan University in comparison to Kent State.

“In China, there are so many more people!” says Xia, whose family name means summer. “There is so much difference – the tall buildings, the transportation. The tallest building here is the library!”

They were all very interested in the individualistic nature of the United States.

“When taking classes in China, we are often more concentrated on the group, and sometimes you have to compromise for the group,” Tian says. “The group connection makes me feel like a family. Here, I think there is a bit more emphasis on the individual.”

Although class structure might be different, Jia, whose name translates to the American name Jessica, recommended international students consider attending Kent State.

“Although we have only been here for two weeks, we have learned so much,” Jia says. “Students and teachers here are amazing. Here, it seems you are free to openly express your mind and heart in any way.”

Xia explains that students in China aspire to come to America to study.

“They have the perception that the U.S.A. is very developed and has abundant resources,” Xia says. “We students work very hard for this. We learn English at a young age, obtain great GPAs and study very hard.”

The student delegates were very excited about their stay at Kent State and each agreed that they could not wait to visit again.

“Overall, the trip was extremely successful,” Liu says. “The students and administrators had the opportunity to visit Kent State and learn about its environment. We wanted the trip to be a good first step toward building a relationship with this university and expanding our international recruitment efforts.”

To learn more about Kent State’s School of Communication Studies, visit www.kent.edu/comm.

For more information about Kent State’s College of Communication and Information, visit www.kent.edu/cci.