Liaocheng professors lecturing, meeting colleagues at North Georgia this summer
6/15/2012 9:02:16 AM
(June 14, 2012) Four Chinese
professors visiting North Georgia College & State University this month from
Liaocheng University are lecturing on topics ranging from traditional medicine
to the history of Chinese musical instruments as part of the ongoing exchange
between the two universities.
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| Members of the faculty of Liaocheng University, from left, Lei Yin, Moses Zhang, Wanhui Chen and Valerie Liu, are visiting North Georgia this month. |
The faculty members are
impressed with the friendliness of everyone they meet and the beauty of the
region.
Since signing agreements for a faculty exchange in 2009 and a student exchange
in 2010, North Georgia and Liaocheng have hosted a steady stream of
administrators, faculty members and students, sharing ideas for learning and
teaching their respective cultures.
The collaboration facilitates
North Georgia’s internationalization plan,
which is tied to the institution’s strategic plan, and focuses on helping
students become globally competent citizens by developing an awareness of other
regions of the world. Some 18 North Georgia students are studying at Liaocheng
University through the end of June, and were accompanied by North Georgia
associate professor Dr. Yan Gao for the first 10 days of the program.
Yongzhang Zhang, who teaches
biochemistry at Liaocheng and goes by Moses Zhang, has given lectures on
Chinese medicine and health this month. This is his third trip to the United
States, and Zhang said he is excited about the chance to learn teaching methods
from his American colleagues.
"In my trips to the United
States, everyone was very friendly and I've made many American friends,"
Zhang said. "I applied for the exchange so that I could share my knowledge
about teaching and traditional Chinese medicine and also gain knowledge from
American teachers about how they teach."
Wanhui Chen teaches courses on
Chinese language, English, and linguistics and has been giving lectures on
Chinese culture during the visit to Dahlonega. This marks his first visit to
the United States, and like Zhang, he has found Americans in general to be very
courteous and has enjoyed the time spent with North Georgia professors.
Chenjun Liu, who goes by Valerie,
specializes in international trade and economics. She's given a number of
lectures during her visit, including speaking at nearby Gainesville State
College. Like Chen, this is her first visit to the United States, and she finds
the area "very beautiful and the people are so very nice to us."
Lei Yin, who was part of the
Liaocheng delegation that visited North Georgia last year, has expertise in the
history of Chinese musical instruments. She spoke to a group at Lanier Village
Estates, a retirement community in nearby Hall County, and played a short piece
using some of the traditional Chinese instruments purchased after her previous visit.
In addition to giving lectures
and meeting professors, the group also has had time for sight-seeing, including
an afternoon spent boating on Lake Lanier and visits to Atlanta, Amicalola
Falls and other destinations.
The relationship between the two
schools has strengthened as North Georgia's Chinese program has grown. Largely
driven by student interest, the program has grown swiftly since the university
first began offering Chinese classes in 2006. Since then, a minor and a major
have been added. In fall 2011, North Georgia was one of the first three universities
in the nation to be designated a pilot ROTC flagship university and was awarded
a $720,000 federal grant to instruct cadets in Chinese. The models developed by
the three universities will be used to develop similar programs across the
country.