The World in Conversation Center (WinC) staff members Trent Hall, Jenny Beben and Shannon Howley recently met with students, faculty and staff of the Wuhan Institute of Technology (WIT) in China. The relationships fostered by the trip will increase the number of meaningful virtual dialogues to transpire between Penn State and WIT students, as the center continues to expand the scope of its global dialogue.
In China, the WinC staff members gained cross-cultural perspectives on social issues such as environmental health, dating and relationships, as well as education and academic achievement. Beben said the staff was able to achieve a new understanding of subjects most relevant to Chinese students and how to relate those to issues faced by Americans.
"I think that we made important relationships with WIT students, professors and deans. I have been able to communicate and continue building these relationships from Penn State," Bebn said. "Also, we got a better sense of how social issues like having a large population, having a competitive education system, and having obvious impending environmental pollution are relevant and important to them."
The World In Conversation team looks forward to joining the Wuhan Institute of Technology in advancing both academic communities as partners in cross-cultural dialogues that promote public diplomacy.
Howley said, "Having an established relationship with a university that understands that speaking about these issues is as important as we believe them to be is paramount to growth as an organization and as a collective."