The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point will graduate the second Ford Fellow from China in as many years. Ximin Wang, an environmental specialist from Zhejiang, China, will receive a master’s degree from the UWSP College of Natural Resources. He follows the first fellow, Yu Wang, of Kunming in Yunnan Province, China, who graduated in 2006.

As a Ford Fellow, Ximin had several options for his studies in environmental education and ornithology education. He chose UWSP over the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota and plans soon to head back to China with an ambitious goal in mind.

"My plan is to return to China to start up a nongovernmental organization (nonprofit) where ornithology education and conservation will be the mission," said Wang. "The faculty here at Point is giving me the tools and education needed for me to take on such an important and daunting task. I believe the timing is ripe for a nongovernmental organization in China to step forward and begin educating China and Southeast Asia on the importance of bird conservation, as well as preserving bird habitat and migratory routes."

Wang is the first in his family to receive a degree, let alone study abroad under a prestigious Ford International Fellowship. His graduate faculty adviser, Dan Sivek, notes that conservation organizations only first appeared in China in the 1990s.

"Ximin’s education here at UWSP will be vital as he leads a nationwide education effort to conserve China’s populations and their habitats. The creation of a national bird-watching society under Ximin’s leadership may be a catalyst for conservation in China, much as it was in the United States a century ago," said Sivek.

Sivek visited China in 2006 and 2007 as a co-leader of environmental educators representing Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and South Africa.

Nearly 20,000 applicants in over 20 countries and territories apply for the Ford International Fellowship. Each fellow is chosen on the basis of academic achievement, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to the development of their communities and countries.

Ximin is the first in his family’s history to obtain post secondary success. Married for the past two years, his two sisters and his mother still live in Zhejiang. He received a degree at Beijing Normal University in literature and a master’s in children’s literature from Shanghai Normal University. According to Ximin, in 2001 he witnessed a common kingfisher, which he had never seen before and was stunned by its regal beauty. "I had never seen a kingfisher before and it turned my life’s course that eventually brought me to UWSP."

His wife of the past two years, Xiying, anxiously awaits his return. During his studies at UWSP, Ximin attended many conferences including the Flying Wild Workshop at the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, the Bird Conservation through Education Conference in Austin, Texas, and many others. But much of his time outside the classroom was in the field, including the local Christmas December bird count in both 2006 and 2007, visits to the Necedah National Wildlife Refuge, the Horicon Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, Hawk Ridge Bird Observatory in Duluth, Minn., Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary in Green Bay, the annual Midwest crane count in Stevens Point, the Urban Ecology Center and Schlitz Audubon Nature Center in Milwaukee, Bald Eagle Day in Sauk Prairie and many more.

"In China, people usually treat birds as pets or food," said Wang. "My studies and fieldwork here at Stevens Point have given me many ideas for bird education activities, techniques, and theories to apply in my native country."