College formalizes water partnership with Chinese institution
TRAVERSE CITY – In a move that affirms Northwestern Michigan College’s leadership in water studies, NMC on Thursday signed an agreement with a Chinese technical school that takes the institutions one step closer to faculty exchanges and co-enrolled students.
Signed by NMC President Timothy J. Nelson (at left in image) and Yellow River Conservancy Technical Institute President Liu Guoji (at right), the agreement seeks recognition from the 
Chinese government of the Sino-US Northwestern Michigan International Institute, to be located at Yellow River in Kaifeng, China. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding in 2014, and formal recognition of the partnership is the next step necessary for NMC’s coursework to be recognized as valid toward a Yellow River diploma.
Once formally recognized, NMC instructional teams will begin preparing college coursework for delivery to up to 40 students studying water conservancy engineering, civil engineering, surveying and mapping engineering. Instruction will be offered in English and students would earn a diploma from Yellow River and a corresponding credential from NMC, such as a certificate or associate’s degree.
“Today’s agreement is testimony to the expertise and leadership NMC has built in water and related marine areas,” Nelson said. “Yellow River realizes our faculty and facilities are second to none, and we’re pleased to take this next step together.”
Nelson added that the relationship gives NMC access to additional water facilities that NMC could not afford on its own. Located on the Yellow River, the third-longest in Asia, the Institute dates to 1929 and provides academic training in support of large, river-based, hydroelectric dams in China.
NMC opened the Great Lakes Water Studies Institute in 2004. In 2009 it launched the first associate degree for Freshwater Studies in the United States. Collaborating with NMC’s technical division, an associate degree in engineering technology-marine technology was offered in fall 2012. In 2015 a bachelor’s degree with a marine technology major was added. Hans Van Sumeren, director of the Water Studies Institute, and Ed Bailey, director of the technical division, both visited Yellow River last November.
NMC faculty could begin teaching in China a year from now, said Marguerite Cotto, vice president for lifelong and professional learning. Eventually, NMC students could also enroll at Yellow River.
As part of its strategic goal to ensure that NMC learners are prepared for success in a global society and economy, NMC has been working to forge partnerships with multiple Chinese institutions since October 2012, when it hosted officials from six Chinese colleges as part of the American Association of Community Colleges’ Vocational Education Leadership Training.
Release date: January 15, 2016
For more information:
Marguerite Cotto
Vice President for Lifelong and Professional Learning
mcotto@nmc.edu
(231) 995-1775