Sources: Carol Shanklin, 785-532-7927, shanklin@k-state.edu;
and Jishu Shi, 785-532-4506, jshi@k-state.edu
Pronouncer: Jishu Shi is Gee-Shoe She.
News release prepared by: Beth Bohn, 785-532-2535, bbohn@k-state.edu

Monday, Oct. 4, 2010

UNIVERSITY RECEIVES INVITATION TO EXCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT FAIR IN CHINA

MANHATTAN -- Kansas State University is among only nine schools from the U.S. selected to participate in an exclusive graduate student recruitment event in China.

Carol Shanklin, dean of the Graduate School, and Jishu Shi, associate professor of anatomy and physiology and director of the U.S.-China Center for Animal Health, will represent K-State at the China Scholarship Council's 2010 International Graduate Scholarship Fair, Oct. 15-23. The council is a branch of China's Ministry of Education and is responsible for government scholarships.

The fair gives select schools the chance to recruit top Chinese students who want to attend a graduate program overseas, said Shi, who initiated K-State's opportunity to participate in the fair. Other U.S. schools invited to attend include Johns Hopkins University, Washington University, Emory University, University of Florida and Indiana University.

Shi said K-State has the opportunity to recruit the best students in China. "The Chinese government will provide significant scholarships to these students to attend high-quality graduate programs abroad," he said.

The fair will be conducted at three Chinese universities: Renmin University of China in Beijing, Oct. 16-17; Xian Jiaotong University in Xian, Oct. 18-21; and Fundan University in Shanghai, Oct. 21-23. At each location Shanklin and Shi will provide information about key K-State graduate programs through one-on-one meetings with students and general seminars. K-State also is among four schools from the U.S. selected to make a presentation at the fair, which Shanklin will deliver.

Shanklin and Shi will be promoting some of K-State's top graduate programs, including programs in plant and animal diseases; ecology, ecological genomics and climate change; energy and sustainability; and food safety, security, and human health and well-being.

K-State currently has more than 190 graduate students from China, and Shanklin thinks the fair will help attract even more Chinese students to K-State.

"The fair provides an opportunity to promote our outstanding doctoral programs," Shanklin said. "By interacting with prospective students we will be able to discuss the research being conducted by our graduate faculty and respond to their specific questions about what Kansas State University has to offer prospective doctoral students.

"Being invited to participate in this event will bring greater visibility to the unique opportunities we can provide graduate students, and it enhances prospective students' awareness of K-State," she said.

While in China, Shi and Shanklin plan to visit with officials from the China Scholarship Council and the graduate school of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. They also will interact with prominent K-State alums who live in China to discuss more in-depth collaborations with the university.