Coastal Carolina University President David DeCenzo and Associate Provost for Global Initiatives Darla Domke-Damonte recently addressed a gathering of more than 200 presidents and senior administrators of Chinese and American universities at a graduation ceremony in Hothot, Inner Mongolia, China.

During the ceremony, DeCenzo and Vice President Jun Liu of Southwest Jiaotong University awarded student Haocun Wang bachelor's degree diplomas from both CCU and Southwest Jiaotong University. Wang was a participant in the Sino-American Cooperation on Higher Education and Professional Development (CHEPD) 1+2+1 Double Degree Program, currently in its third year at Coastal.

Wang has already been accepted for graduate school in architecture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; he plans to help build green buildings in the future.

DeCenzo was one of the panelists at the Sino-American Presidents' Forum with the theme, "Faculty Professional Development as a Step Toward Comprehensive Internationalization." As part of the 1+2+1 program, Wang came to Coastal Carolina University in August 2011. Over the next three years, he had to complete all the degree requirements of both CCU's graphic design major and the landscape design major at his Chinese university. During that time, he won a Silver ADDY Award for his design work at Coastal, a graphic design internship in China, a study abroad program in Thailand, and a green building design project proposal for a hotel in China as some of his coursework experience. On a sadder note, he also lost his father due to a tragic accident during this study in the USA. CCU faculty members worked with him to enable him to return to be with his mother and complete all degree work. At the conference, he delivered a speech about the experience of CCU in working to internationalize our campus through faculty support efforts.

Domke-Damonte was invited to make a speech during the annual meeting at its Seminar on Challenges and Strengths in Sustaining the Sino-American CHEPD 1+2+1 Program.

Coastal Carolina University has been a part of the Sino-American 1+2+1 Program since 2007 and received its first student through the program in 2009. Fifteen students have come to CCU through the program, and by August 2014, five students will have graduated. Students in the program spend the first year at their university in China, then transfer to CCU to complete all CCU requirements, and finally return to China to complete all their remaining Chinese university degree requirements. At the conclusion, they receive both degrees.