New joint program with an exciting new start

Hunter has recently visited the joint program partner of University of St. Francis (USF), Sichuan University of Science and Engineering (SUSE.) SUSE is a key provincial comprehensive university with approx. 2,000 faculty and staff and over 30,000 students.

SUSE has several campuses located in Zigong, Yibin, and Chengdu in Sichuan Province. We visited one of the campuses located in Zigong. The city is known as the “Salt City.” It is the source of many dinosaur fossils, so is also called the “Home of Dinosaurs.”

Zigong is well-known for making spectacular lanterns and is also known as the Lantern City. Lanterns are popular in China, especially during the holidays. According to the Chinese News, Zigong’s lanterns have been sold to more than 500 cities in China and over 70 countries around the world. The registered lantern companies are estimated to have an annual output of 4.85 billion yuan, which accounts for 80% of the domestic market and over 90% of the foreign market share.

In fact, SUSE started its first Lantern Institute. The Institute will provide a trained and qualified workforce to support the growing Zigong Lantern industry. SUSE is building a new campus (shown in gallery) with a building dedicated to creative arts and the Lantern Institute. This new building will also house the newly approved joint program between SUSE and University of St. Francis (USF) in Joliet, IL.

The joint program was approved in 2019 by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of China with an annual enrollment of 120 students. In mid-July, over 90 students have applied for the program after the 2nd day of open enrollment. SUSE is confident that they will have a full enrollment for the first group. USF President Arvid Johnson has been invited to and will visit SUSE in October to attend the first opening ceremony at SUSE in China.

Hunter is proud to serve as the China Representative of USF and assist USF in obtaining successfully the MOE approved joint program, the only undergraduate program was approved by the MOE in Sichuan Province during the last approval term.