The Presidents Forum and the 11th Graduation Ceremony of the Sino-American CHEPD (Cooperation on Higher Education and Professional Development) 121 Program was held on June 18 in Inner Mongolia University of Technology, where 300 presidents and student representatives from 19 American universities and 81 Chinese universities were on hand for the event.

At the Sino-American Presidents Forum scheduled in the morning, the presidents from both countries discussed higher education's further internationalization, focusing on how "to create opportunity for university internationalization and push forward teacher career development."

Xing Yongming, president of Inner Mongolia University of Technology, gave a lecture surrounding "strengthening international exchange and cooperation to upgrade university construction" at the forum. The internationalization progress of teachers is significant to a university's internationalization, for teachers are the key driving force for a university's talent cultivation, professional development, improvement of academic quality and university reputation, Xing said at the lecture.

The 11th Graduation Ceremony for the Sino-American CHEPD 121 Program kicked off in the afternoon.

Qian Yicheng, deputy head of the China Education Association, and Xing addressed the ceremony. Representatives of presidents of both Chinese and American universities awarded diplomas to 236 graduates, 106 among them were recognized as outstanding graduates.

With a goal to cultivate international talents, the Sino-American CHEPD 121 Program is a Sino-American higher education exchange and cooperation project among the China Center for International Educational Exchange (CCIEE), China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), and the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU), based on an agreement that "the parties agree to encourage the recognition of credentials and academic credits from accredited institutions in the other country and to promote examination of issues of degree equivalency." After 13 years of development since 2001, there are 126 universities from China and America participating in the program to date.

The 11th Graduation Ceremony of the Sino-American CHEPD 121 Program is held on June 18 in Inner Mongolia University of Technology.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

A representative awards diplomas to graduates at the 11th Graduation Ceremony of the Sino-American CHEPD 121 Program on June 18 in Inner Mongolia University of Technology.[Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]