Alaskan Student Ambassadors go to China: inaugural class connects with Chinese executives and students.

• Author: Johnson, Paul
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: International Trade

"The trip to China has been the most exciting, enlightening, and memorable experience of my life. China is a diverse country with an enormous amount of history. The Chinese economy is an amalgam of historical and modern philosophies."

--Jacob Haworth, UAA2015 Study Abroad Course Student

Last summer nine highly motivated and adventurous University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) students ventured into China as the inaugural class for a pioneering new Economics course: "Globalization and China Economy and Business." They travelled by overnight trains, buses, and planes for two weeks to Beijing, Xi'an, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Shanghai to visit firms, markets, export agencies, and universities and also to communicate and connect with business executives and college students.

The course travel was fully funded through the students' tuition and fees ($4,600/person), including the costs of the two supervising faculty from the UAA College of Business and Public Policy, Dr. Qiujie "Angie" Zheng and Dr. Paul Johnson. Along the way each student had to investigate a business or economics research topic and present a report on their findings within two weeks of return to Anchorage.

Intrepid Travelers

All but one of the students had never been to Asia before, much less China, but by the last night in Shanghai they had graduated from being China neophytes to capable independent travelers ready to work and thrive in any China city should future employment take them there.

Of course the intrepid travelers were prepared beforehand with an overview of China's economy and business environment and training in everything from Chinese culture, customs, and social relations to practical questions like visas, cellphone service, and how to handle money.

Thrown into an unfamiliar environment, the students--few of whom knew each other before--soon became a cohesive cooperative team. They ranged across disciplines, from twenty-two-year-old fulltime students to adults with thirty years of industry work experience. The common denominator was their adventurous Alaska spirit and passion to explore the world of international business.

China is Alaska's number one export market. Growing Chinese demand offers huge potential for economic growth through expanded trade. The design of the itinerary aimed to provide students with opportunities to learn and build their international human and social capital.

The itinerary had an Alaska emphasis, with a briefing from the Alaska Seafood and...