Linfield partners with Chinese school founded by alum

Linfield University is partnering with a school in China that was founded by a Linfield alumnus.

Shawn Chen, who graduated from Linfield in 1987, founded Sias University in Zhengzhou, China, in 1998. He now is chairman of the Sias board.

Linfield President Miles K. Davis, Provost Beth Concepción and deans Gennie VanBeek,and Jennifer Madden attended the Chinese school’s opening ceremonies this fall. While there, they and Sias officials agreed to partner in international education.

Sias incorporates Western liberal arts traditions to Chinese higher education and offers both Chinese and American bachelor degrees. It has more than 30,000 undergraduate students

Davis said the two schools signed a memorandum of understanding “in the belief that the research and educational process at both institutions will be enhanced.” The MOU calls for student and faculty exchanges starting in 2024 and development of a joint-supervision dual degree program; a pilot program may launch in the fall of 2025.

“Linfield has a long-standing tradition of international dialogue, learning and exchange,” Davis said. “This is a natural evolution.”