11/12/98

Contacts:
Denise Bjelland, International Agriculture Programs, (515) 294-2883
Brian Meyer, Agriculture Information, (515) 294-0706

ISU TO HELP CHINESE UNIVERSITY DEVELOP EXTENSION PROGRAMS

AMES -- Iowa State University will collaborate with China's largest university to strengthen rural and agricultural extension programs in China.

With a $119,000 grant from the United States Information Agency, ISU will help Zhejiang University in Hangzhou to develop model extension services in rural areas of Zhejiang Province, which is on the eastern coast of China. ISU faculty will work with their Chinese counterparts to develop curriculum, materials and teaching capabilities in educational extension programs. The project also will establish youth organizations modeled after 4-H clubs in the United States.

"One of our goals is to help prepare Chinese educators to work in client-oriented programs," said David Acker, director of International Agriculture Programs at ISU. "The project's overall goal is to help Zhejiang University in the development of educational programs that support democratic reforms in rural China."

The three-year project will involve exchanges between the Chinese university and ISU faculty and staff in agriculture and liberal arts and sciences. The project is part of a program sponsored by the U.S. Information Agency's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which promotes faculty exchanges between U.S. and international academic institutions.

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