Chinese Government Official Returns To Metro Campus

A former Metro State exchange student who went on to assume a key role in the Chinese government was back on campus last week.

Xinsheng Zhang, vice minister of education for the People's Republic of China, attended Metro State from 1980-82 as an exchange student to study hotel management. Last Thursday, Vice President of Academic Affairs Cheryl Norton gave Zhang a tour of the campus. The tour, originally scheduled to last 40 minutes, went on for two hours because of Zhang's interest.

"The Metro philosophy of open access, of providing an education to all, was something he really connected with," Norton said. "He was impressed with our focus on education, not on glitzy buildings, and our ability to do more with less."

The vice minister toured the Center for Academic Technology (CAT) labs and learned about online courses and multimedia classrooms, and the Combined Computer Access Center, which supports students with disabilities through a comprehensive collection of adaptive computer equipment. "He was over-whelmed by that and by our focus on access and opportunity for all."

Norton also showed Zhang the Hospitality, Meeting and Travel Administration lab kitchen and the Aerospace Science Department's World Indoor Airport.

After the tour, Zhang extended an invitation to Norton to visit China to speak with officials about educational opportunity and access.

From left, Chinese dignitary Xinsheng Zhang
and Vice President of Academic Affairs
Cheryl Norton tour the campus.