After years of determined work, a private college in Xi'an, the capital of Northwest China's Shanxi Province, has developed into one of the most prestigious private institutes of higher learning in China.

The Xi'an Translators Training College has become one of the country's leading private colleges in terms of enrollment, the number of teachers, graduate employment rate, facilities and equipment, and school management, according to Ding Zuyi, chairman and president of the college.

The college has grown from humble beginnings. When it was established in 1987, it had one rented classroom and one office.

The college developed without outside help. It has never received a single cent from the State, nor has it sought any kind of sponsorship.

Expansion

Nonetheless, the college has made noteworthy achievements over the past 17 years.

Since 1998, the college has seen a year-on-year growth in recruitment.

In 1998, the Xi'an Translators Training College enrolled 6,800 new students, making it the first private college in China with a student body of more than 10,000.

In 2002, the college enrolled 12,000 new students, a remarkable feat amid the increasing expansion of public schools.

In 2003, the college enrolled 13,500 new students. So far, the college has 36,900 students, the largest student body among China's 1,300 private colleges.

The college now occupies 146.7 hectares of land and has 550,000 square metres of office and classroom space. Its net assets are valued at 650 million yuan (US$78.6 million), according to President Ding Zuyi.

The college offers the opportunity of further education to high school graduates who have failed the national entrance examination for colleges and universities, and because of this the college has been dubbed the "Second Project Hope," a reference to Project Hope, a nationwide charity program that helps students from poor families to continue their studies at the primary or secondary level.

In China, most universities and colleges are run by the State.

The difficult entrance examination results in cut-throat competition.

Many high school graduates fail the exam and their careers and personal development are left in jeopardy as a result.

Ding, who was himself rejected by universities 44 years ago, knows the plight of those who fail the entrance examination very well. His desire to help those who had suffered rejection like himself became keener after he educated himself and achieved success.

Although it originally targeted struggling students, the college has gained an increasing number of students with higher scores.

Currently, 80 per cent of its freshmen have achieved the standard marks for admission into public universities and colleges.

The excellent performance of the students has further added to the fame of the college.

For the past several years, its success rate for national college diploma exam was ranked first in Shanxi Province, 15 to 20 percentage points higher than the provincial average.

More than 2,000 graduates have gone abroad to further their study. And hundreds of graduates have passed the exams for post-graduate studies.

About 98 per cent of the college's graduates have been employed by government institutions and domestic and foreign-funded enterprises.

In 2002, a team consisting of 41 multinational corporations and a group of 100 Beijing enterprises came to the college to seek prospective employees.

These achievements can be attributed to the strict management and the innovative educational mode, said Ding.

Educational mode

The college has pursued a different approach to higher education than most of the State-run colleges.

Ding's college offers students not only diplomas, which are one of the essentials in the hunt for a decent job in China, but also professional skills, which help further their careers in a long term.

Thanks to the high-quality teaching resources in the universities and colleges of Shanxi Province, Xi'an Translators Training College has more than 1,000 full-time and part-time teachers, including foreign educators.

These teachers try to give instruction of foreign languages, professional knowledge and modern skills all equal importance.

The college offers studies in international accounting, foreign-oriented secretarial skills, marketing, foreign trade and computer skills in a variety of three- and four-year courses.

Along with their other studies, students are required to complete English courses equivalent of an English Major's program, and they constantly are urged to improve their language skills, especially their spoken English and listening comprehension.

The college also offers courses in written English, computer skills, etiquette, public relations, foreign trade correspondence, calligraphy and driving skills.

The combination of language and hands-on training arms students with up-to-date skills that make them more valuable in the job market.

The college's educational mode has been copied by a great many private and State-run institutes of higher learning around the country.

Disciplines

To prevent students from distraction, the college has laid out a series of strict rules.

They live a military-like school life, and are not allowed to leave the school except on weekends.

Male students are not allowed to visit female dormitories and vice versa. Romantic involvement is also not permitted.

During intervals between classes and designated self-study times, students are required to study on their own. They may go to the library and read foreign books or watch original versions of English movies.

For its good administrative practices, the college has been granted the Advanced College in Comprehensive Administration and Security College awards by the Xi'an municipal government and the Xi'an Public Security Bureau over many years.

Widespread recognition

Xi'an Translators Training College has taken the lead in China's private higher education and has garnered great attention from home and abroad.

In late 2001, former Vice-Premier Li Lanqing and then Minister of Education Chen Zhili visited Xi'an Translators Training College, speaking highly of the students' English capacity.

On July 13, 2002, Ding was invited to deliver a speech at the nationally respected Peking University, hailed as the first handshake between the top governmental university and the top non-governmental college in China.

On the same day, Ding met with Ji Xianlin, a revered and learned professor and former president of Peking University.

Ji expressed his appreciation of Ding's efforts to create opportunities for hopeful young students to receive higher education.

On October 20, 2002, when Xi'an Translators Training College celebrated its 15th anniversary, Wang Xuezhen, former Communist Party secretary of Peking University, and Peng Long, dean of Beijing Foreign Studies University's Business School, were present, offering praise for Ding's dedication and the school's dramatic growth.

At the celebration, the Center for the Study of China under the World Trade Organization (WTO) announced that it had set up a 500,000 yuan (US$60,000) scholarship at the college, to encourage students who score excellent results in their qualification training for WTO certificates.

To mark Ding's contributions towards the education and the training of WTO specialists, the center presented Ding with an Audi deluxe automobile.

In late 2003, Ding was invited as a special representative to the Bo'ao Forum which was attended by high-profile officials from around Asia.

A forum on the college's educational mode has been held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing every year since 1996.

In a poll conducted last year among readers of Find journal and Chia Quality News as well as users of China-school.net, Xi'an Translators Training College ranks first in teaching quality and facilities among private colleges in Northwest China's Shanxi Province.

The college's fame has also circulated among foreign academics.

About 100 diplomatic envoys stationed in China have paid a special visit to the college.

As well, many famous American and British universities have established friendly relations with the college.

Source:chinawestnews.org.cn