Penn State and Chinese University Mark a Century of Collaboration

Penn State professor George Groff (top row, third from left) poses with faculty and students at South China Agricultural University in 1924.

As a partnership between the College of Agricultural Sciences and a sister institution in China reaches the century mark, officials at both schools are preparing to enter a new phase of cooperation.

To mark the 100th anniversary of the collaboration between Penn State and South China Agricultural University, the Chinese university's former president, Luo Shiming, spoke to graduates of the College of Agricultural Sciences during Penn State's spring 2007 commencement ceremonies. Luo also received an honorary doctorate from Penn State'only the third time an international guest has been so honored.

"We presented Professor Luo with this award to acknowledge and celebrate the long history and promising future of U.S.- Chinese cooperation," says Deanna Behring, director of international programs in the college. "His influence helped the partnership between SCAU and Penn State to thrive. Under his leadership from 1995 to 2006, SCAU's agricultural programs grew exponentially, which helped to re-energize Penn State's research in soybeans, root biology, and food science."

The oldest bilateral international agreement in Penn State history and one of the oldest cooperative programs between a U.S. and a Chinese university, the collaboration began in 1907, when Penn State professor George Groff visited Lingnan, China, to establish ties with SCAU. Groff made a return visit in the 1930s, and the two universities continued to exchange students and collaborate on research well into the 1940s.

As World War II ended and the communists rose to power in China, the partnership between Penn State and SCAU was suspended for several decades. After President Richard Nixon's historic visit to China in the 1970s helped pave the way for normalized relations, President Jimmy Carter re-established diplomatic ties in 1980, allowing Penn State and SCAU to restore their successful collaboration.

Today, SCAU and Penn State are working together on several fronts. One research program, funded by the McKnight Foundation, is aimed at developing improved soybean varieties that are adapted for growth in nutrient-deficient soils. This research could contribute to improving food security and fighting hunger for more than 700 million people in south China and for billions more who live on weathered soils throughout the tropics.

Other joint programs focus on enhancing food safety and improving food production practices. In response to rising consumption of animal-derived food products in China, Penn State and SCAU, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture, will be working with colleagues in China to improve the country's dairy and meat production. Under this program, four faculty members from the College of Agricultural Sciences will travel to Beijing and Guangzhou to share the latest advancements in dairy production and help develop educational programs to enhance the safety and security of fresh and further-processed meats.

With China's recent admittance into the World Trade Organization -- a development likely to have a major impact on global trade in agriculture Behring believes that the cooperation between Penn State and SCAU will only continue to grow. "We are excited about what the future holds," she says.

—Ali Ferguson