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Watch: Chinese Delegation Tour O'burg Campus

The first wave of students at a proposed school just outside of Ogdensburg may be American and Canadian, not Chinese.

Chinese businessman James Ma has a long-standing plan to convert the former Mater Dei campus on Route 37 just south of Ogdensburg into a school for Chinese students coming to America.

However, Ma has struggled with U.S. immigration rules. So on Thursday he led a delegation from China's Qingdao University on a tour of the facility.

Qingdao may make the site its first U.S. campus - and the first students would likely be 200-300 U.S. and Canadian citizens who want to learn Chinese language and culture.

The delegation from Qingdao included a vice-presidet and the university's dean of international programs.

Ma said partnering with Qingdao University to set up its first American branch campus would satisfy federal requirements, and allow him to start bringing Chinese students to the school to learn English and American culture.

So - after a time - the school would be one big exchange of cultures, with Chinese learning English and vice-versa.
 
Thursday, the group toured classrooms and dormitories, taking pictures and talking. They appeared pleased with what they saw.

Ma said he hopes the new school will be able to accept its first 200 to 300 students in the fall of 2013 and gradually increase registration to over 500.
 
 
 

Wednesday, May 22, 2013
, Watertown, NY

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