Wenzhou-Kean University (WKU) is a province-state friendship project between the Zhejiang Province and New Jersey in the United States. It is a Chinese-American jointly established higher education institution with independent legal person status and limited liabilities. On November 16th, 2011, the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China (MOE) approved the application of preparation on establishing Wenzhou-Kean University which was cooperatively run by Wenzhou University and Kean University USA. On March 31st, 2014, the MOE announced the approval of the establishment of Wenzhou-Kean University. The University adopts such a governance structure as the Chancellor shall act as the executive officer, and serve at the pleasure of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors composed of members from both the Chinese and American parties is the highest authority of Wenzhou-Kean University.
During the preparation stage, the University received friendly concerns from the Chinese Central leaderships and enormous attention from Party committees and People’s governments at different levels. On May 8th, 2006, Mr. Xi Jinping Secretary of CPC Zhejiang Province (at that time) visited Kean University in New Jersey and delivered a keynote speech in the Signing Ceremony of cooperation in establishing Wenzhou-Kean University. The MOE regards the establishment of the University as one of the critical projects that enlarges the scope of Education Open-up while enhancing education reform in return. In July 2014, WKU was listed on the fifth round of the deliverables of China-US High-level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange as the only education project in Zhejiang province. On September 23th 2015, President Xi Jinping mentioned Wenzhou-Kean University at the third China-U.S. Governors Forum, describing the University as “making good progress.” In June 2018, the Chinese Ministry of Education and Zhejiang Province listed WKU as one of the exemplary Sino-foreign cooperative universities, supporting it to become “an internationalized and world-class university”.
Striving for excellence in building an international university with world-class education, Wenzhou-Kean University has been dedicated to the principle of “providing students with different ways of development”. In November 2013, the University was accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. In March 2018, the Bachelor Degree Conferral Evaluation Panel of the Department of Education of Zhejiang Province concluded that Wenzhou-Kean University has the qualifications to confer bachelor degrees. In 2019，WKU was approved to offer 11 graduate-level programs. Being well-knit with Chinese actual conditions and needs in developing regional economy and culture, the University sets up its pedagogical goal that aims to merge Chinese and American teaching methodologies in practice and builds itself into a world-class university featuring world-class campus and facilities, professional faculty communities, academic research and maintenance services. Aiming to build itself into a high-level education institution as a fine example of Sino-foreign education partnership, the University strives to cultivate students with global vision and patriotic sentiment, pressing ahead China’s higher education reform and better serving regional economic, social and cultural development. The WKU TOEFL center was unveiled in September 2019, and Wenzhou has become the third city in Zhejiang Province that has a TOEFL test site. In January 2020, WKU was approved as a GRE test center, making it the only test center in southern Zhejiang area. The construction of the campus was listed as one of the major projects for the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta. WKU’s many international indexes rank top in Zhejiang Province. In the 2021 Best Chinese Universities Ranking released by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, Wenzhou-Kean University ranks the 163rd.
The University introduces advanced educational resources from prestigious universities in the U.S. and uses original American textbooks. 100% of the curriculum are provided by Kean University and all the courses are taught in English. 100% of the faculty are recruited globally. The University offers small size classes and adopts an inquiry-based learning approach. China’s national conditions and culture education are embedded in teaching practices. The University aims to cultivate students with global vision, know-how of international rules and conventions, and innovative creative and initiative competences. “Start here, go anywhere”. The University helps students realize their dreams and prepare them to be successful in the global arena.
Wenzhou-Kean focuses on undergraduate education at the present stage, and it will offer graduate education in the next phase gradually. The University comprises four colleges–College of Business and Public Management, College of Architecture and Design, College of Liberal Arts and College of Science and Technology. The University now offers 20 undergraduate programs with six disciplines, namely, economics, science, engineering, literature, management and art. WKU has established a diverse and mixed discipline in the field of science, engineering, literature and arts with economics and management as its pillar.
Finance, English, Computer Science, Marketing, Global Business, Graphic Design, Mathematical Sciences, and Biology were included in the provincial first-class undergraduate programs list. Global Business, Computer Science, and Graphic Design were listed as Zhejiang Provincial Higher Education Distinctive Program. Students will receive dual degrees from Wenzhou-Kean University and Kean University in addition to a graduation certificate from Wenzhou-Kean University. In 2021, WKU offers six graduate programs, including Global Management, Instruction and Curriculum, Computer Information Systems, Architecture, and Doctor of Educational Leadership. The University will roll out more graduate programs gradually, including Psychology (M.A), Educational Administration (M.A.), Accounting (M.S.), Counseling and Supervision (Ph.D.), and Combined School and Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.). Students will receive a degree from Kean University after graduation. WKU currently has about 380 faculty and staff, with around 140 faculty members. The faculty members come from 35 countries and regions around the world. 98% of them have overseas study and teaching experience, and most hold doctorate degrees. The outstanding faculty community has provided strong talents support for the University’s development as a global university.
In 2021, the University recruited 1300 tier-1 students from 21 provinces and cities in China. Now it has a student population of about 3500. WKU and KU have exchanged 1200 students over the past few years. Now, WKU has graduated six cohorts –around 2100 students have graduated from the University. 60% of them choose to further their studies in the most prestigious universities in the world. Among the graduates of Class of 2020, 64% go to graduate schools, 46% are accepted by QS top 50 universities, and 75% are admitted by QS 100 universities. These renowned schools include Harvard University, Colombia University, University of Pennsylvania, University College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Melbourne, University of Hong Kong, and the University of Toronto. According to the data released by Shanghai Ranking Consultancy, the Class of 2019 ranks the 13th by the rate of graduate college admission. Many outstanding students participated in various global platforms, including APEC meetings, World Youth Leadership Camp, and Youth Leadership Conference. Students also won awards in many high-level competitions both in China and abroad, such as Imagine Cup Global Competition, Mathematical Contest in Modeling, etc. WKU students also published papers in leading magazines, including Frontiers in Microbiology and Bioinformatics. They published 82 papers in international journals and meetings and attended 110 conferences.
Covering an area of 494 acres in land planning, the campus of Wenzhou-Kean University is located in a beautiful township called Li’ao in Wenzhou. The area of the first phase construction is 173.8 acres and the floor area is 250,000 square meters. The style of Chinese layout and elements of American university are embodied in the campus buildings and facilities. The University strives for building a humanistic, ecological, intellectual, and outreach campus with merged Chinese and American cultures. A global and modern campus structure has been revealed along with the ongoing construction projects. The first construction phase of 200 thousand square meters has been built, including General Educational Hall, College of Business and Public Management Hall, Ge Hekai Hall, Comprehensive Lab, Student Residence, Faculty Housing. WKU is accelerating the projects of Student Learning and Activity Center, Stadium, Administration Hall, and Science and Technology Building. The design of the second phase of 2000 mu has started and the planning of Phase III Student Residence Hall and Phase II Faculty housing has begun.
According to the strategic planning, WKU will develop about 7000 on-campus students and 400 faculty by the year 2025. 30 undergraduate and graduate programs will be offered to students, and the campus will reach 380,000 square meters. WKU will be a high-level international? university that is “contributing in Wenzhou, renowned in Zhejiang, influential in China and distinctive in the world”.
Last modified time: Dec.10 2021
