你好!
(That means "Hello!" in Chinese.)
The Boston Globe has reported that UMass Online, the distance learning division of the University of Massachusetts, has come to an agreement with officials of the People's Republic of China.
UMass Online will be the first university outside of China to provide online courses to students there. The Vice Chairman and General Secretary of China's Continuing Education Association (CCEA), Yan Jichang, had this to say about the partnership:
"The importance of this strategic partnership cannot be overstated. Gaining support throughout all of China and from the Ministry of Education for UMassOnline, with the intention of encouraging, introducing, approving and sustaining high-quality online courses from a leading university already well-known to us, is important to the future of China's place in the league of nations and the aspirations of our students to achieve world class academic credentials."
This partnership will continue until the year 2013, when other foreign universities will be welcomed to offer their distance learning programs in China as well.
Read the article published by the Boston Globe.