CSB and SJU Go To China!

China has been one of the longest-running destinations in the CSB/SJU study abroad program. The relationship started under the initiative of Sister Baulu Kuan, a native of China who returned there in 1980 with a group of CSB/SJU administrators, faculty and alumni. Two more summer programs followed in 1981 and 1982. These study tours expanded into semester-long study abroad programs at Southwest University (formerly Southwest China Normal University) beginning in 1986. The Johnnie-Bennie and China connection grew when the SJU basketball team participated in the Shengdu Men’s International Basketball Invitational Tournament in June 1987 in Chengdu, the capital of the Sichuan Province. Faculty traveled to Taiwan and China in 1997 to develop their ability to include Asian content in courses. More China connections emerged in 1998 as CSB alums taught English at Lingnan Normal University, followed soon by two LNU faculty coming to Saint Ben's and Saint John's as visiting scholars. Collaboration with Chinese institutions continued with the development of a cooperative science research program begun in 2006. Other programs followed, such as multiple McNeely Entrepreneurship Center trips to Asia and a 2019 faculty/student research trip. Travel to China halted in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic constrained international exchange.