Concordia affiliates with Chinese college
UIC is a new American-style liberal arts college on the Chinese mainland affiliated with the more established Beijing Normal University and Hong Kong Baptist University, which are providing faculty and accreditation during the start-up of the college.
UIC aspires to be a global college, with all instruction in English, where students and scholars from around the world will come to study and do research.
Dr. Edmund Kwok, executive vice-president of UIC and his wife, Christine, visited Concordia on May 24 to raise support among faculty and staff for this new venture.
"We want to embrace the realities of globalization through an exchange of students and faculty, especially in China," says Kwok. "We want to be a partner in the world's family of nations by opening up China to students and scholars."
This affiliation comes after a year of exploratory work capped by a month-long consultancy at UIC by Dr. William Frame, former president of Augsburg College. Frame reviewed all aspects of the affiliation and recommended that it move forward. The process began last year when a group of Minnesota Private College Council presidents, including President Pamela Jolicoeur, visited China.
With Concordia's reputation for strong international programs, Dr. Kwok says he is eager for the college's participation through a two-way exchange of students and teaching stints for faculty. He is also asked that recently retired faculty consider spending a year at UIC as visiting scholars.
One recent graduate, Phil Erickson '06, Grand Forks, N.D., will spend the next year teaching English at UIC. Erickson, a humanities major, has had extensive study abroad experience and is looking forward to working in China. "I'll be a native speaker on campus to help students with their pronunciation and understanding of English usage."
Additionally, a joint May Seminar being developed by the religion and nursing departments anticipates utilizing the college's facilities and faculty next spring.
Only in its third year of operation, the UIC campus is currently under construction with new classroom buildings and residence halls due for completion this fall. The current enrollment is 1,500 students with a target enrollment of 4,000 by 2010. The curriculum focuses on the liberal arts and humanities.
As a follow-up to Dr. Kwok's visit, Concordia will host 30 Chinese UIC students on the Moorhead campus in late July. The Concordia Language Villages is developing an English immersion experience for the students modeled on the successful "Hometown USA" program.
Dr. Kwok said UIC has been given the blessings of the central government for this new education model completely without government interference or management. "Our goal is to integrate theory with real life values, and to achieve a balanced view of nature, society and individuals. We think this is a true international venture for the cultures of the world to come together," says Kwok.
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Concordia College, 901 8th St S, Moorhead, MN 56562; (218) 299-4000
eNews is a publication of Concordia College, Moorhead, Minnesota
Copyright © 2006 All Rights Reserved.
Concordia College, 901 8th St S, Moorhead, MN 56562; (218) 299-4000