Pictured above (from left to right): Jason Conley of USHCA;
Third Secretary LIU Lei of the Chinese Embassy Educational Affairs Office;
Provost S. Keith Hargrove of Tuskegee University;
Counselor ZHANG Yun of the Chinese Embassy Educational Affairs Office;
Dr. Lou Swanson, Professor of Sociology Emeritus and Vice President of Engagement Emeritus at the Colorado State University;
Dean Olga Bolden-Tiller at Tuskegee University;
and Dr. Wu Fan of Tuskegee University
From October 29-31, 2023, USHCA Advisor Dr. Lou Swanson and Program Associate Jason Conley attended the 81st Annual Professional Agricultural Workers Conference (PAWC) organized by Tuskegee University to foster partnerships between HBCU’s and Chinese agricultural universities.
PAWC is a forum that values and promotes equal opportunity and equitable access to information and technology for the sustainable development of communities and natural resources.
For the first time in its long history, PAWC invited Chinese guests to this conference to explore opportunities in international agriculture education collaboration. Representatives from the Chinese Embassy’s Education Section traveled from Washington D.C. to attend. Tuskegee University leadership and the Chinese Embassy representatives discussed Tuskegee University’s interest in working with universities in China and the potential of academic partnerships during a private meeting facilitated by USHCA. After a productive dialogue, foundations were laid for future collaborations including potential student exchanges.Â