03/10/11 mm/kb

HAYS, Kan. -- After Commencement, school may be out for the summer, but for two students it could start up again a few thousand miles away. Through Fort Hays State University's Sias summer exchange program, two individuals will experience a summer filled with Chinese culture.

FHSU has sponsored this short-term study abroad experience for the last six years. Throughout the program, students will attend Sias International University, where they will participate in classes. Optional travel packages for excursions in China are available. Classes are tailored to each student's interests. Courses of study include Chinese language, culture, law, art, cooking, international business, international trade, health care, martial arts, calligraphy, chess and dance. Each class is taught in English. Participants may choose to earn FHSU credit for their study abroad experience.

Courtesy of FHSU, students' round-trip airfare from Denver, Colo., to Xinzheng, China and Sias tuition, including room and board, are provided.

To be eligible, students must be a full-time undergraduate student at the time of application, be enrolled at FHSU for the fall 2011 semester and have a minimum 2.75 cumulative GPA. Students will be selected through an application and interview process.

Application forms are available for download at www.fhsu.edu/exchange/ or www.fhsu.edu/internationalization. They are also available on the bulletin board outside of room 014 in Forsyth Library on the FHSU campus. All applications are due by Friday, April 1, to the Office of Strategic Partnerships.

For more information, contact Mary Meier, administrative assistant to the assistant provost for strategic partnerships and dean of distance learning, at 785-628-5818.