The University is getting closer to the other side of the world.

The University said it has reached a deal with Nanjing University in China for student and faculty exchanges and collaborative research, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The two universities are discussing the possibility of training for Chinese government workers.

The University and Tsinghua University decided to collaborate on educational opportunities for students and faculty earlier this month.

Both agreements were signed while a delegation of Georgia business, government and education officials led by Gov. Sonny Perdue was on a trade mission to China in early April, according to University News Service.

Tsinghua University, near Beijing, and Nanjing University, in the city of Nanjing in east-central China, are considered two of China’s top ranked universities, University Provost Arnett Mace said in a news release.

“These agreements are a giant step in strengthening the University of Georgia’s global presence, which is one of our

major strategic goals,” Mace said. “Not only will they provide valuable educational benefits for the students and faculty of both universities, but they also support economic expansion initiatives that will lead to more jobs and greater growth for our state.”

The exchange program with Tsinghua University is expected to begin in fall 2008, Jane Gatewood, associate director of the Office of International Affairs, said last week.

- Carolyn Crist