SAU and SIU (Southern Illinois University Carbondale) agreed to make joint efforts to provide high-quality teaching resources and optimize syllabus arrangement for “Aircraft Propulsion Engineering” joint program on October 18, 2018.
The program will start to recruit students in 2019 and enrollment size is 120 persons yearly. Candidates will be conferred bachelor degree if he/she meets graduation requirement. 
Vice President Wang Qi received Dr. Andrew Carver, Director of SIU International Education Center and Marc Chang, Chief Adviser of SIU International Affairs in International Education College. Both parties held meeting to discuss on program operation, syllabus matching and academic arrangement.
"Students of the first batch will be the most promising engineers because both parties have strong teaching advantages and planned the most proper curriculum that meets the global demand”, said Wang.
Andrew expressed his thankfulness to SAU for long-term collaboration and hard work. He added that this cooperative education program will be a milestone for bilateral relationship and benefit students.
SIU representatives also gave an orientation to SAU students who are interested in the program and other exchange program which attracting both Chinese and international students to attend. Students raised questions about academic credits, hostel, and life in US.
Since 2017, all exchange programs with international partner universities have been open to both Chinese and international students. Bassole Severin from Burkina Faso was the first international student who finished his exchange program successfully in SIU. "I love both SAU and SIU and appreciate the chance they gave me to have such great experience", said Severin.

Both parties are always devoted to promoting the relations and hope to enhance exchanges between the two universities at all levels such as short-term program, degree program and scientific collaboration.