| Herzing College's China Abroad Program China by the sea by Jonathan Gramling |
| the global economic stage, China is the "new kid on the block." Due, in large part, to political reasons -- the Cold War clash of Capitalism and Communism -- most Americans know very little about China. But, rather quickly, since the end of the Cold War, China has emerged as a major economic player on the global scene. Many Chinese regions experience economic growth of more than 10 percent per year and it has been predicted that China's economy will surpass the U.S. economy in size by 2050. It has already surpassed Japan's as the number two economy. |
| Like many higher education institutions, Herzing College has made note of these trends and plans to prepare its students for competing in the 21st century labor market. Its president, Henry Herzing, took advantage of some contacts that Herzing College's Atlanta campus had in China to establish educational ties with Dalian Jiaotong University in the city of Dalian, a booming city of 3.5 million people located on the shores of the Yellow Sea. According to Dr. Charles Taylor, Herzing's academic dean, the U.S. has a lot to learn. "We're the ones playing catch-up," Taylor said during an interview at Herzing College's Madison campus. "We're the country that isn't bilingual. Any way we can encourage students to become bilingual is important. If you look at China in the future and where the economic growth is, China is going to be a major player on the world scene." Herzing College has established a China Abroad Program through which Herzing students cans spend a semester at Dalian Jiaotong University." Madison will be sending its first students over there this September," Taylor said. "It's a great opportunity for students to broaden their horizons, learn another language, and teach conversational English. We think it's a very exciting program for students." Students will take Chinese language classes at the university and also teach conversational English classes. Why teach English classes? "The demand for English language instructors is great," LiPing Zhang, a native of China and a HerzingCollege instructor said. "In China, they begin learning English as a second language in some of the elementary schools. More and more, the Chinese will be learning English. The door is wide open now because of the economy." Taylor looks at the experience as a win-win situation. "The advantage there is students are forced to learn about another culture and learn different ways to interact with people and just to grow and be exposed to this wonderful history and this wonderful culture and become independent in the process. Once they leave this country, they are sort of on their own. Of course, we have good contacts that will help support them while they are there. But when they are in and out of the classroom, they have to find their way. We feel this will be a great experience for our students." And while some may be reluctant to fly halfway across the world to spend a semester in a foreign land, students may be surprised to find many familiar icons, such as McDonalds, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and Starbucks dotting the landscape. "Things are really evolving in China," Zhang said. "People dress similarly to the way they dress here. I am surprised [by what I see] when I see the news in China." Students will also have Zhang as a resource before they leave for China. While spending a semester in China may sound like an expensive proposition, it could actually work out to be cheaper than spending a semester in the U.S. Currently, the exchange rate with China is one U.S. (dollar) to eight Chinese (RMB). "The cost is about $3,000 for the semester," Taylor said. "It includes room and board, the classes, and the training, but doesn't include transportation. It's fairly inexpensive to be exposed to one of the oldest civilizations that exist on the planet. To me, it's a win-win situation. I would encourage every student to take advantage of the opportunity to travel abroad, especially a program like this. If I were a student and didn't have the $3,000, I would do some fund-raisers to get the money." Students will also be paid a small stipend while they are teaching the English classes. For more information about Herzing College's China Abroad program or other educational opportunities at Herzing, call Dr. Charles Taylor at 663-0818. |
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| Herzing College's LiPing Zhang (l) and Dr. Charles Taylor |
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