Joint program bolsters education cooperation

Wang Yuhui, an 18-year-old freshman from Hefei, Anhui province, recently began his university life on a brand new program jointly launched by Shanghai University of Sport and the University of Wyoming in the United States.

This undergraduate program in kinesiology, the first of its kind in collaboration with a US institution, welcomed its first 75 students in September.

The students will study all four years at the Shanghai university, and receive their bachelor's degrees from the two institutions upon successful completion.

Aimed at cultivating interdisciplinary talents with a global vision in exercise science, the program integrates Chinese and American expertise, with about 42.5 percent of the courses delivered by the US faculty.

A dedicated fitness enthusiast, Wang has played a myriad of sports since childhood, including basketball, soccer and rugby, and personally experienced the risks associated with improper exercise.

"I want to move beyond the scope of an athlete, and view sports from a broader, scientific perspective. With this program, I'll be able to gain knowledge to help more athletes monitor their performance and improve their results, and also promote the concept of scientific fitness to a wider public. Both of them would be fantastic," Wang said.

That mindset attracted Wang to the program.

Designed to cultivate versatile professionals with a strong focus on practical application, the program features a combined expertise in Chinese and American higher education.

It enables students to master the fundamental theories, knowledge and skills of kinesiology and related fields, including biology, medicine and physical education, while developing the basic abilities required for teaching, research and laboratory work in the sector.

Equipped with essential skills in sports injury prevention, sports health management, scientific and technical services for competitive sports training, as well as scientific guidance for sports and fitness, graduates are expected to have extensive job prospects and broad career paths.

Zheng Xinyan, a professor at Shanghai University of Sport and head of the program, noted that many of the best courses and selected concepts from Wyoming are introduced into the program with complementary strengths.

"We have assembled a team of top-quality faculty members from both sides in the program. Together we are cultivating a pool of applied research talent in sports science, who possess a more international perspective and greater diversity," Zheng said.

The integration of different but combined education approaches is also what drew Wang to the program. "It will allow me to have wider access to international resources, platforms and practices, and provide me with a more open mindset and practical experiences. That's valuable and uniquely competitive," he said.

Arthur Zhu Qin, director of the department of kinesiology at the University of Wyoming's College of Health Sciences, said the program is aimed at equipping students with an "active living lifestyle" that will keep them healthy and drive them to influence others to pursue healthier lifestyles.

"This program provides a scientific lens for students to understand how movement is important in human lives. It is intended to build kinesiologists in both nations who have a global perspective ... We are building the future health providers for the whole world basically," Zhu said.

The joint program came as the result of the long-standing partnership and exchanges between the two institutions since 2018. Over the past few years, students and faculty have been going back and forth to gain a better understanding of one another.

Isadora Helfgott, vice-provost for global engagement at the University of Wyoming, said both China and the US are very committed to education.

"We have shared commitments and interests in education. We have a great tradition now of almost 50 years of cooperation in education, and I just hope for a flourishing future that can continue so that we better understand each other's perspectives," Helfgott said.

Elijah Van Knowles from the US, 25, is in his fifth year studying wushu, or Chinese martial arts, at Shanghai University of Sport. Regardless of different majors, he expressed excitement over the program and the strengthening of China-US education cooperation. "It's such a great thing to have a group of teachers from elsewhere in the world here, as the students can open their minds and learn in a different way."

Having begun his journey with wushu as a teenager and lived in China for seven years, Van Knowles said he was looking forward to seeing more people taking part in traditional Chinese sports at the school.

He said wushu, rooted in Chinese traditions and philosophy, has helped him not only become physically healthy, but also build mental strength.

"One of my goals in life is to become at least a piece of the bridge that connects wushu to the world. It is such a beautiful sport," he said.