For many years, UWM has welcomed senior students from Hubei University of Technology (HBUT) in Wuhan, China, to complete their Bachelor of Arts in Studio Arts at PSOA. This global partnership not only offers a unique degree pathway for HBUT students but has also proven to be a valuable opportunity for faculty.
Instructors preparing in Hubei
An important aspect of the cultural exchange is the time UWM faculty spend in China. Each summer, eight instructors travel overseas to teach three-week courses at HBUT.
“It’s a really beneficial experience for the instructors,” said James Charles (Teaching Faculty, Jewelry & Metalsmithing), one of the instructors who oversees the program. “It really helps educators learn, see, and understand how they are communicating. We take a lot for granted speaking the same language… With students in China, you have to be much more clear.”
Through this experience, UWM instructors harness an understanding of how to communicate with Chinese students, skills they also transfer to their Milwaukee classrooms.
“It helps instructors deliver content in a much clearer, efficient way to our students when they come back,” said Charles. “When we are writing our syllabi or our assignments, our expectations are much clearer which is helpful for them.”
Following several years of virtual visits, instructors returned to in-person visits to China this summer. Among them was Wesley Larsen (Assistant Professor, Design & Visual Communication), who led students through an experimental typography design course.
“Not only are [the students] practicing speaking, reading, and writing in English, but they’re also designing English language letterforms and thinking of the autonomy of typography,” said Larsen.
Despite the geographic difference, Larsen found that students had striking similarities.
“Once you find a groove, you realize ‘Oh, they’re just undergraduate students like the ones back in the U.S,’” said Larsen.
Mary Roley (Lecturer, Sculpture) also visited Hubei. She spent the three-week program leading a workshop on sculpting functioning toys.
“Teaching online, I had no idea what tools or equipment were available to them,” said Roley. “In person, they got to use their woodshop and laser cutter that they had on hand. It was really fun!”
Following their experience learning the norms of another culture, instructors return to UWM even more prepared thanks to their time overseas.
“I come back to the classroom in Milwaukee refreshed from my experience abroad,” said Roley. “I also come back with a much more fine-tuned grasp on what I need to get across to my students and how. To create lifelong learners is what the college experience is all about.”
Hubei students to Milwaukee
This summer, the program expanded and brought 11 HBUT students to visit Milwaukee for a two-week English and Art program.
During their time in Milwaukee, students were offered experiences and excursions that offered an insight into Western culture.
“The goal was to introduce more students to our programs and give them the opportunity to feel what it is like to be a student at UWM,” said program co-coordinator Cynthia Hayes (Teaching Faculty III, Painting & Drawing; Director, First Year Program), who guided students through their two-week program. “This program gives them time to plan ahead and really think about the reality of coming to UWM.”
HBUT students took classes and workshops, including using state-of the-art 3D printing technology. They visited popular art destinations including the Milwaukee Art Museum, Villa Terrace, and the Art Institute of Chicago, the latter of which was part of an overnight Chicago trip that included an architectural boat tour.
HBUT students interacted with one another and their instructors for most activities but also met other international UWM students in an English language course.
UWM and PSOA hope that these students will return to Milwaukee for their senior year.
Story by Jason McCullum ’25