Agreement binds Portland and Zhengzhou ca Ioseph 81umol President of Portland Stale University 8 by Clarence HeiR Formal ratification this spring of a cooperative agreement between Portland State University and Zhengzhou the two institutions of higher education, but will be one more element in the growing tie between the orthwest and the Pacific Rim countries. PSU President Joseph Blumel traveled to Henan Province in May for a formal ceremony approving an agreement worked oul by members of the University's International Studies Office State are similar institutions in .some respects. Both are relatively young, located in major cities on principal rivers (Zhengzhou is on the Yellow River). But, where PSU has nearly 15,000 undergraduate and graduate students in a broad spectrum of programs, Zhengzhou is primarily an undergraduate institution of 5,000 students with a heavy emphasis on the sciences. It has extensive laboratory facilities for undergraduate instruction and there is some research undel'VY'ay on campus. The key factor for Portland Slate, according to President Blumel, is that, "Zhengzhou University has a strong interest in improving their English language instruction. It is a high priority for them and the agreement gives us a chance 10 send our graduate students over there as assistant teachers of for PSU graduate students will be on the faculty at Zhengzhou (see story this page). At the same time, Blumel says, the Chinese are very interested in faculty development. During the Cultural Revolution in China there was a period when higher education and the training of faculty was virtually halted. "So they have faculty now teaching at the university," Blumel says, "who are in real need of further training. They are anxious to have their faculty come over here for study as a form of faculty development ." "From our point of view, it is of tremendous value to have them here," Blumel says. ''They learn from us and we certainly learn from them. NOI only will they be resource people for us but for the community in general, too, in terms of current Chinese culture and thought. " A student exchange, beginning in 1985, also is part of the agreement, as is a bond of friendship, much like a Sister-university relationship. Charles White, director of international studies OIl PSU. said the agreement also calls for an exchange of educational materials, books and supplies. In this first year, PSU is helping Zhengzhou obtain English language typewriters. This is not Oregon's only university exchange in China. White points out that the State System of Higher Education has a general agreement wllh schools in Beijing, once Peking. and many Oregon students go to the Foreign language Institute there. or will this be the only such agreemenl for PSU, according to Presidenl Blumel. "There will be much more to come," he says. "Bul these things take time to develop." He emphasizes the importance of such agreements to PSU, "as we work to develop our international programs. The more of thiS kind of interaction we have," he says, "the stronger our international programs will be." •..and journey begins for PS by Clarence Hein For three Portland Stale graduate students, the cooperative agreement between PSU and Zhengzhou Uni"""ity in China has meant immediate and significant educational and career opportunities. Cynthia Grubis, John Duke and Joel Ooe) Magnuson left for China in July for one-year stints as English teachers at Zhengzhou University, just two months after PSU PresidentJoseph Blumel and Che De-Ji, Zhengzhou University presidenl, signed the formal agreement. All three are students of Katherine Shen who has taught Chinese language at Portland State for 17 years and who was involved in development of the relationship between the two universities. A few days prior to boarding a Northwest Airlines flight to Hong Kong. two of the students visited Mrs. Shen's southwest Portland home for tea, travel tips, and some last minute organizing. Between cups of tea, Mrs. Shen, a native of Beijing. and her husband Min, an engineer who also has taught at PSU, shared some of their insights on travel in China with John Duke and Joe MiaJnu.son UriO and John (center) received helpful trilvel tips from their Chinese instruclor Katherine Sheri before :...-____ k-ilvins for a yur ill Zhengzhou UniYft'Sity. coast.) Would it be better, for example, to travel by train from Hong Kong to Zhengzhou University or to take a hydrofoil up the Yellow River? At the same time, Katherine Shen shared her first-hand impressions of the Zhengzhou campus and the accommodations where the PSU students will live for the next year. Magnuson and Duke also used the time to plan a brief stay in Hong Kong and to organize their baggage. Each of the students carried a manual typewriter along 10 leave at the Chinese school, as well as some English language books. Both young men, when asked what they hoped to gain from their year as English teachers at a Chinese university, said the opportunity simply " looked too good to pass up." Duke, 27, has a BA in English from William and Mary College and has studied China and Chinese at PSU for three and one-half years. "I'm interested in contemporary China as a growing political and economic force in the world," he said, adding that he hopes to gain more facility in spoken Chinese and a greater understanding of China itself. He isn't sure what he will do following his year in China but feels sure that his future will involve China.
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