In an effort to create greater educational alliances, De Anza College President Brian Murphy and Dean of Language Arts John Swensson left last Monday for a nine-day trip to China and Vietnam. The administrator’s goal in searching for sister colleges in other countries is to further enhance the learning experience of De Anza students by allowing them to study abroad. The study abroad program originally started in 1998 and last year it was hosted in China. “We both share an awareness that the future of our students lies in some measure of globalization,” said Swensson. De Anza will be signing a sister college agreement with the Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, a four-year general college in China. BIPT successfully worked with De Anza in its study abroad program for several years now. “The BIPT was very supportive of our students, they took them on tours, they hosted them, they introduced them to their students and vice versa,” said Swensson. Aside from Beijing, Murphy and Swensson plan to visit three other institutes in Saigon and Hanoi in Vietnam. Signing sister college agreements are not secured in Vietnam, but both administrators are looking around for which institutes would most benefit the students of De Anza. International involvement between De Anza and Vietnam was established years ago.

Establishing strong relationships are not only a priority for administrators, students also feel that connections must be made. “It will make studying abroad more enjoyable,” said Quan Nguyen, a third-year nursing student. “I believe that people will jump at the opportunities to study in Vietnam more.”