From left, UW Division of Kinesiology and Health Director Derek Smith; Shanghai
University of Sport President Lijuan Mao; and UW President Ed Seidel were among those
taking part in a signing ceremony on the UW campus confirming a commitment between
both UW and Shanghai University of Sport to establish an international joint program
so that UW’s kinesiology undergraduate program can be replicated at SUS to recruit
and graduate Chinese students there. (Nick Robinson Photo)
The University of Wyoming’s Division of Kinesiology and Health has, since 2018, been
an active participant in UW’s expanding role in international education. The division
is home to the International Kinesiology Center, which is in partnership with the
Shanghai University of Sport (SUS) in China.
During a recent visit to the UW campus, SUS President Lijuan Mao and representatives
of that university met with UW President Ed Seidel; Vice Provost for Global Engagement
Isadora Helfgott; and Derek Smith, director of the Division of Kinesiology and Health,
to review the current role of the International Kinesiology Center in the Corbett
Building. They also examined the logistics of establishing an international joint
program so that UW’s kinesiology undergraduate program can be replicated at SUS to
recruit and graduate Chinese students there.
“Currently, we have completed course mapping and a budget model, and we are working
with Vice Provost Helfgott to propose this program to the UW Board of Trustees, hoping
to get support and approval before moving forward,” says Qin “Arthur” Zhu, a professor
and international program coordinator with UW’s Division of Kinesiology and Health.
To show their support for expanding global engagement and international education,
both UW leadership and that of UW’s Global Engagement Office, along with leaders from
SUS, have signed letters of commitment for the UW-SUS international joint kinesiology
undergraduate program in China.
“The collaborations between Shanghai University of Sport and the University of Wyoming
have been wonderfully fruitful over the past five years, and we’re very excited to
grow our partnerships,” Helfgott says. “This collaboration builds on strengths of
both of our institutions and creates opportunities that are truly unique. I’m excited
to see what doors this partnership will open for both our universities.”
The proposed program has three main components: UW would provide curriculum and teaching
personnel; SUS would provide teaching facilities, partial curriculum and teaching
personnel, and support program operations; and students would have the option of completing
their four-year degree at SUS to get an international undergraduate degree in kinesiology
conferred by SUS, or completing their first three years of education at SUS before
coming to UW to complete the last year of their education to get dual degrees in kinesiology
from both SUS and UW.
“Our resilient partnership with Shanghai University of Sport has been meaningful and
productive for students and faculty in Wyoming and China,” Smith says. “Exploring
the satellite undergraduate kinesiology and health program in Shanghai is an exciting
opportunity. Workforce demand and many global health problems that our students are
trained to address as part of interprofessional teams transcend borders; expanding
UW’s global footprint increases access to the foundational education needed by and
to grow the workforce.”
Currently, 10 SUS students arrive each year on the UW campus in August and remain
with the kinesiology and health program in the College of Health Sciences through
March. While the interdisciplinary education and coaching curriculum now focuses mainly
on Nordic ski training, the proposed collaborative agreement would expand the education
to high-altitude training and performance and sports activities such as those found
in the Summer Olympics.
These sports include wrestling, boxing and middle- to long-distance running. Elite
student-athletes in the expanded kinesiology program at SUS also would train in Wyoming,
allowing them to adapt to high altitude and learn about factors influencing performance.
To learn more about the UW Division of Kinesiology and Health, visit www.uwyo.edu/kandh/index.html.
About the UW College of Health Sciences
UW’s College of Health Sciences trains health and wellness professionals and researchers
in a wide variety of disciplines, including medicine, nursing, pharmacy, speech-language
pathology, social work, kinesiology, public health, health administration and disability
studies. The college also oversees residency and fellowship programs in Casper and
Cheyenne, as well as operating a speech/hearing clinic in Laramie and primary care
clinics in Laramie, Casper and Cheyenne.
With more than 1,600 undergraduate, graduate and professional students, the college
is dedicated to training the health and wellness workforce of Wyoming and conducting
high-quality research and community engagement, with a particular focus on rural and
frontier populations.
