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Confucius Institute at Western Michigan University

2009-2014

2009-2014 F ive Year Report

John M. Dunn

President

Western Michigan University

4

Wolfgang Schlör

Confucius Institute Director

Western Michigan University

5


2009-2014

Welcome to the Confucius Institute at Western Michigan

University (CI at WMU). The Institute is a non-profit

organization jointly funded by Western Michigan University

(WMU) and HANBAN (the executive body of the Chinese

Language Council International and part of China’s Ministry

of Education) that manages a collaborative effort between

WMU and Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU).

One of nearly 100 Confucius Institutes located throughout

the United States, each with a distinctive program, the CI

at WMU’s principal goal is to provide Chinese language

and cultural programs throughout Southwest Michigan.

The primary constituents of the Institute’s programs are

WMU students and faculty, regional K-12 schools, local

businesses, and the broader community of Southwest

Michigan.

6

The CI at WMU was established in November 2009 and we are pleased to share with you in

this booklet an overview of our accomplishments. Our Institute continues to grow and expand

with each year, introducing new programs, forging new partnerships and providing language and

cultural learning opportunities for Southwest Michigan. Over the course of our first five years, we

have actively engaged and developed programming in two major West Michigan school districts

and have hosted hundreds of courses and workshops on Chinese language and culture on WMU’s

campus and throughout the region.

7

Sangren Hall

8

One of the top-100 public universities

in the United States, Western Michigan

University, founded in 1903, is committed

to being learner centered, discovery

driven and globally engaged. The Carnegie

Foundation for the Advancement of

Teaching has classified WMU as one of the

nation’s 147 public research universities,

and U.S. News & World Report has

recognized it as one of the United States’

best universities for the past 24 years.

The University offers 251 academic

programs to its nearly 25,000 students

pursuing bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral

degrees; more than 20 percent are

enrolled in its 73 master’s or 30 doctoral

programs. WMU also offers a CEA-

accredited English as a Second Language

program—CELCIS, a comprehensive

international student orientation program,

and hosts numerous volunteer, cultural,

and touring opportunities. More than 1,800

international students representing 100

countries are studying in WMU’s nationally

recogn ized p rograms in bus iness ,

computer science, engineering, aviation,

health care, education, and many others.

The University is also home to a private

medical school and it is affiliated with a

private law school.

WMU’s main campus is located in

Kalamazoo, Michigan, a safe, friendly,

college town with easy access to Chicago

and Detroit and within a one hour drive

of Lake Michigan’s beautiful beaches and

numerous outdoor recreation areas.

The Confucius Institute at WMU was

founded in fall 2009, with a focus on

expanding knowledge of Chinese language

and culture throughout West Michigan.

WMU is proud to be among the 100

institutions in the United States hosting

a Confucius Institute. The University

greatly values the rich opportunities that

the Confucius Institute at WMU provides

campus and the community to become

more globally engaged.

9

Beijing Language and Culture University

(BLCU) is located in northwest Beijing,

the capital of China and center of

the country’s political, cultural and

international activities, offering an

ideal location from which to study

Chinese language, history, politics and

culture. BLCU is the only university

in China whose main mission is to

teach Chinese language and culture to

international students.

BLCU provides teachers to the CI at

WMU on an annual basis who are

trained in teaching Chinese as a Second

Language and in conducting Chinese

culture courses. In our inaugural year,

the Institute and the WMU community

welcomed from BLCU six teachers and

Associate Director Dr. Jiwei Fu, who

greatly aided the Institute in carrying

out its mission. In our fifth year, the CI

at WMU is pleased to have seventeen

BLCU teachers and volunteer teachers

and Associate Director Dr. Haitao Yu

to support our programming. They all

have contributed to and enriched our

program in ways we could not have

imagined.

BLCU and WMU have a long history

of collaboration, which was initiated by

Dr. Wang Xiaojun, WMU professor of

Chinese language, who was a faculty

member at BLCU before coming to

the United States. For many years,

Dr. Wang has led a study abroad

program at BLCU for WMU Chinese

language students, and many of

those students subsequently enroll

at BLCU for a semester or academic

year of additional language study.

These cooperative ventures have been

enhanced through our partnership in

the Confucius Institute program.

10

Beijing Language and CuLture university Beijing Language and CuLture university

BLCU Campus | International Wall

11

M a i n P r o g r a m s a n d

The first initiative of the CI at WMU was to meet with the Superintendents leading the nine school districts in

Kalamazoo County. In January 2010, Dr. Wang, Director of the CI at WMU and Dr. Donald McCloud, Dean of

WMU’s Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education, briefed the Superintendents on the programs the

Institute could offer and other potential opportunities for school districts within the geographical boundaries of

the newly established CI at WMU. At the time, all local school districts were facing severe financial constraints,

and the initial responses by the Superintendents vividly reflected their concerns about financing new program

initiatives. Nevertheless, this early contact with local schools opened the way for developing Confucius Institute

programs within several local districts.

Accompl i shments

Portage Public Schools

The most positive response to the introduction

of the Confucius Institute program came

from Portage Public Schools (PPS), the district

immediately south of Kalamazoo. With a student

populat ion of more than 8,500 students in

grades kindergarten through 12th, the district is

among the most progressive in Southwestern

Michigan. In meetings that followed soon after

the init ial presentation to Superintendents,

PPS administrators explained that they already

had created a plan for an experimental three-

year pilot program aimed at introducing Chinese

language at the e lementar y -schoo l leve l .

While the Confucius Institute was not in a

position to provide block-grant funding, the

availability of Chinese teachers and volunteers

already trained in teaching Chinese as a Second

Language provided the core instructional and

leadership group to begin the Portage experiment

in the fall of 2010. Two first-grade classrooms

at Amberly Elementary and two at Lake Center

Elementary were randomly selected through a

lottery system to begin Chinese language studies.

14 Confucius Institute at WMU14

BLCU volunteers Han-Han and Jinwei Peng

were the p ioneer Chinese teachers at

Amberly Elementary and Lake Center Elementary.

The Chinese language program in Portage was

very successful and extremely popular among

parents and teachers. Over the next several years,

in addition to classroom language study, a number

of community cultural activities were offered—

many directly involving the children—to expand

and reinforce the language-learning process.

The program at Portage’s two high schools followed

a different path. Rather than focus immediately

on offering Chinese language, the Social Studies

Coordinators at Portage Northern and Portage

Central High Schools implemented a plan to use

BLCU volunteers to introduce Chinese cultural and

historical content into existing classes. Working

with the high school teachers, the BLCU volunteers

researched and developed short units to present.

15Confucius Institute at WMU

Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

16 Confucius Institute at WMU

Portage Public Schools

Aimed at sat is fy ing Amer ican students’

g rea t cu r ios i t y about Ch ina , some o f

the diverse topics covered in these course-

enrichment units were: Chinese pen and ink

drawing, China’s government, l ife in modern

China, Chinese geography, China since 1900,

women’s roles in China, Chinese call igraphy,

Ancient China, China after the Cultural Revolution,

and Buddhism, Daoism and Legalism in China.

During the third year of the program, leadership

changes at Port age Publ ic Schools sh i fted

program interests in different direct ions. A

fourth year of elementary Chinese was offered

as an after-school activity, but in the spring of

2014 the elementary Chinese language program

at Portage closed. The elementary Chinese

language program in the Portage schools reached

approximately 600 students over four years.

Meanwhile, the PPS high school enrichment

program has continued, with the greatest level of

activity being carried out at Portage Northern High

School. In the summer of 2014, Portage Northern

High School and the CI at WMU began planning for

Chinese language to be offered in conjunction with

the International Baccalaureate program (IB) already

operating there. It is anticipated that during the 2014-

2015 academic year, IB teacher training, curriculum

development and marketing for students entering

high school in the fall of 2015 will get underway.

During the second year of the experimental

elementary language program at Portage Public

Schools, HANBAN approved funding in March

2011 for four Confucius Classrooms to be located

at Amberly and Lake Center elementary schools

and Portage Northern and Central high schools.

The classrooms were launched in fall 2011, but

leadership changes at PPS meant that the Confucius

Classroom programs were never fully utilized.

In the summer of 2010, the CI at WMU sent a group

of ten teachers and administrators from Michigan

to China for an educational tour. The group studied

Chinese language and culture at BLCU, as well

as traveling for a week in China to experience the

unique charm and culture of Shaoxing, Hangzhou

and Shanghai. The educational tour was offered

for the following two summers for smaller groups.


Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

Forest Hills Public Schools (FHPS) is located on

the east side of Grand Rapids, Michigan, about

an hour north of Kalamazoo. FHPS is a large school

district of more than 10,000 students. The district

has offered an immersion Spanish language program

for 15 years, so with strong parental and community

support, accepting the challenge of developing

an immersion Chinese program appeared to be a

next logical step for the District. Meadow Brook

Elementary School was selected to house two

immersion classes per grade, in which the students

received a half day of their instruction in Chinese

and a half day in English. The immersion Chinese

program is based on mathematics and science. It

is one of the few Chinese immersion elementary

Forest Hills Public Schools


programs of its kind in Michigan. Launched at

the kindergarten level, the program now extends

through grade 6. Traditional Chinese language

classes are also offered at the high-school level.

While FHPS has collaborated with Confucius

Institute programs at Michigan State University, as

well as the Asia Society, the CI at WMU became

an enthusiastic partner with FHPS in early 2012,

initially placing one teacher at the high-school level

and one volunteer at Meadow Brook Elementary.

The following year, the number of teachers and

volunteers tripled to six teachers and volunteers.


Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

19

Forest Hills Public Schools

Confucius Institute at WMU20

Our partnership and commitment to

their program has continued to pick

up momentum and expand in new ways. In

addition to providing support staff, the CI

at WMU holds summer cultural activities,

such as bus trips to Chicago’s Chinatown for

students and their families.

In 2014, the CI at WMU in collaboration

with FHPS and Meadow Brook Elementary

began a project to translate essential

classroom materials into Chinese. Math

and science readers, story books, and other

materials have been translated for use in

daily classes.

The CI at WMU and FHPS are planning to

develop a Confucius Classroom at Northern

Trails 5/6 School, which houses the Chinese

language program for grades 5 and 6.


Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

21

Beginning with the 2013-2014 school year, the CI at WMU placed

a BLCU volunteer at the Montessori School of Kalamazoo. The

Montessori curriculum differs substantially from a traditional school, so

it was necessary to experiment and adapt our methods and approaches

to Chinese language instruction to fit the Montessori curriculum and

teaching format. Through experimentation, the program has transitioned

to an after-school language class for those students interested in

studying Chinese. As a private school with a specialized curriculum, the

Montessori School of Kalamazoo attracted a diverse but select student

population, and although the program is expected to remain small it will

play a vital role in the language development of the children participating

in the program.

Montessori School of Kalamazoo


The Kalamazoo Public School District (KPS) is the

largest in Kalamazoo County, with an enrollment of

approximately 12,500 students attending one of four high

schools, five middle schools and 18 elementary schools.

Since fall of 2013, KPS has offered Chinese language

classes as an after-school elective in a program located at

Prairie Ridge Elementary School. The District has secured

its own teaching and support staff, while the CI at WMU

provided textbooks and instructional materials.

The district also offers specialized schools—magnet

schools focused on the arts, math, science, and other

areas. It has received national recognition through the

“Kalamazoo Promise,” which offers a four-year tuition

scholarship to a Michigan university for any student who

completes grades Kindergarten through 12th grade in

the KPS District. Prorated, partial tuition scholarships are

available to KPS graduates who did not complete their

entire K-12 education in the District.

Kalamazoo Public Schools


Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

The CI at WMU encourages and actively seeks partnerships within WMU,

regionally, and globally to expand our scope of activities and programs.

Past collaborations have included hosting activities or events with the Chinese

language program at WMU, the Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies, the

WMU Department of Theatre, the Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo,

the Kalamazoo Chamber of Commerce, Inland Lakes Schools, and many other

organizations.

In addition to the active Chinese programs offered at Forest Hills Public Schools

and Portage Public Schools, the CI at WMU collaborates most frequently with

WMU’s Chinese language program and the Timothy Light Center for Chinese

Studies. Currently, the CI at WMU is providing one Confucius Institute teacher and

one volunteer to teach for-credit courses in WMU’s Chinese language program.

Considered our sister center, the Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies and

the CI at WMU collaborate each year on several events or activities, including film

screenings and guest lecturers. Since 2012, the CI at WMU has cosponsored 12

lectures in collaboration with the Light Center. A comprehensive listing of lecture

speakers and topics is included in the appendix.

Partnerships and Collaborations



Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

In addition to established school partnerships and programs, the CI at WMU will often contribute to special events at non-partner schools throughout Michigan.

Events have included cultural celebrations, Asia festivals, diversity days, and more. The CI at WMU will work with schools to prepare an event or activity that best

meets their objective. Requests for school events have continued to increase each year as Chinese language and cultural programs in Michigan gain popularity and

momentum.

The CI at WMU also supports the Kalamazoo Country Day School, providing a volunteer teacher for their weekly one-hour, after-school Chinese language program.

The Modern Chinese Language School of Kalamazoo, a community language school, is also supported by the CI at WMU, which provides volunteer instructors for

weekend Chinese language classes.

Other School-based Events and Activities



Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

Chinese Culture Classes are a

staple of our Confucius Institute.

These non-credit, low-cost classes are

taught in English and are open to WMU

faculty, staff, students and the public.

Among some of the first activities

of our Institute, Culture Classes are

offered every semester. Classes have

varied over the years covering a wide

range of topics, including Chinese

cooking, crafts, dance, medicine,

painting, calligraphy, music, modern

culture and Tai Chi.

Workshops on Chinese culture were

introduced in 2012 that are open to the

public. They provide an opportunity to

learn about a specific aspect of Chinese

culture in one or two hours. Past

workshops have introduced attendees

to Chinese paper cutting, Chinese knot

tying, Chinese calligraphy, and more.

Chinese Culture Classes and Workshops



Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

HSK Language Test

The CI at WMU offered the first

HSK test on campus April 9, 2011.

The HSK is the only standardized

Mandarin Chinese proficiency test for

non-native speakers recognized by the

Chinese government, which was first

developed and offered at BLCU. Upon

successful completion of the test,

an HSK certificate is issued, which is

recognized without limitation in the

People’s Republic of China and which

can be useful for higher education and

professional purposes.

The HSK, HSKK and YCT are now

offered several times a year through

the CI at WMU. The number of test

takers has continued to grow with

each year, drawing in more participants

and from states as far as New York.

In 2014, 45 participants took the HSK

through the CI at WMU.


Staff of the CI at WMU conducted research

studies to examine the impact of beginning

Chinese language programs on learning patterns

among elementary school students. In response

to parental concerns, the study’s primary

goal was to learn whether and how Mandarin

language programs at Amberly and Lake

Center elementary schools influenced overall

reading and other scholastic achievements

among students participating in the language

program compared to students who did not

study Mandarin. Achievement data were being

measured regularly by the State of Michigan

using the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early

Literacy Skills (DIBELS) test.

The findings of this study proved to be surprising

and very interesting. Although the statistical

measures were close, in all test cycles the

students participating in the Mandarin language

elementary school program performed slightly

higher than their non-Mandarin language learning

peers in virtually all the reading categories

measured. This was particularly interesting

since the students in the Mandarin group

were selected through a random process that

reduced or eliminated many possible individual

motivational explanations, and the data does not

provide an explanation for why these students

should have performed above the cohort average

for each grade level.

The results of this research, as well as other

issues pertaining to the introduction of Chinese

language classes at Portage elementary schools,

were reported at the Midwest Conference on

Asian Affairs (MCAA), the regional grouping of

the Association for Asian Studies, which was held

at WMU in September of 2012. The CI at WMU

panel at the event was titled, “Lessons Learned

from Implementation and Initial Research

Results.” The presenters were CI at WMU

Director Dr. Donald McCloud, Associate Director

Dr. Jiwei Fu, Kimberly Ritter, assistant director

for school outreach, and Maran Subramanian,

graduate research coordinator.

Research


Main Program

s/ Accom

plishments

T i m e l i n e o f H i g h l i g h t s

The CI at WMU has hosted hundreds of events, celebrations, meetings and

lectures since its founding in fall 2009. Our timeline highlights a variety of those

activities and events held each year.

7.7

11.23

Signing Ceremony

Opening Ceremony

The formal opening ceremony for the CI at WMU was held in the

Dalton Center on WMU’s main campus. WMU and BLCU senior

administrators and the Directors of Hanban attended this event.

Dignitaries from China included BLCU Chair and Professor Lujiang

Wang, Professor Lixia Chen, Director of the Confucius Institute

Department at BLCU; Yanchong Peng, Director of the BLCU

President’s Office, and Qian Wen, BLCU Project Coordinator. Two

representatives from the Chinese Consulate General in Chicago

also attended: Vice Consul General Maoming Chu and Educational

Consul Qiang Liu.

President John M. Dunn, Dr. Donald McCloud and Dr. Xiaojun Wang trav-

eled to Beijing for the official signing ceremony establishing the CI at WMU.

2009



Timeline of highlights

4. 6

The C I a t WMU he ld a th ree -

day, Chinese teaching resource

exhibition open to the public at Waldo

Library on WMU’s main campus.

Ten Portage Public Schools teachers and administrators

participated in the Educational Exchange in China,

traveling to Beijing, Shaoxing and Shanghai to learn

Chinese language and culture, and to give presentations

at workshops held at BLCU.

7. 17-31Chinese Teaching Materials Exhibition Educational Exchange in China

2010


The CI at WMU participated

in Bronco Bash, a welcome

event held for students each

fall, where staff promoted

CI at WMU culture classes

and introduced Chinese

culture to students through

various hands-on activities,

performances and displays.

9. 9

10. 10Haiyan Li, Economic Counselor at the Chinese Embassy in

Washington D.C., visited the CI at WMU and the Portage

Public Schools Elementary Chinese language programs.

Members of the CI at WMU presented

research and current projects at the Timothy

Light Center for Chinese Studies Internal

Conference, including Dr. Xiaojun Wang, Han

Han, Jinwei Peng, Maran Subramain, Ran Shi,

Yingjie Chi, Xun Sun, Kun Ma and Xiaojing

Yang.

11. 17Light Center

Internal Conference

Bronco Bash

Visit from Counselor Haiyan Li



2011


An informational seminar on China was held

for area high school students. More than 175

students representing five area high schools

gathered at WMU’s Fetzer Center to learn

about China from WMU professors and CI at

WMU staff.

1. 17Seminar on China for

High School Students



2011

A Language Partner Ice Breaker event was held, which provided an

opportunity for Chinese language learners and students from China

to meet and play games.

1. 17

2. 5

Language Partner Ice Breaker

CAGK CNY

Employees and volunteers of the CI at

WMU participated in the Chinese New

Year celebration hosted by the Chinese

Assoc ia t ion of Greater Ka lamazoo,

performing skits and giving Chinese opera

demonstrations.

3. 19 Ping Pong Competition


Co-hosted a concert by Hong Zhang, Binghamton University, of music

representing China’s ethnic groups

3. 24 Ethnic Groups Songs Concert

Hosted a WulinHanyun Chinese Martial Arts and Folk Music performance at WMU’s Fetzer Center.

4. 10 WulinHanyun Martial Arts



2011

The CI at WMU and the Timothy Light Center for

Chinese Studies cosponsored a lecture on Chinese

Calligraphy by Dr. Paul Wang, dermatologist and

internationally recognized Chinese artist.

6. 28

6. 29Calligraphy Lecture

Curious Kids Summer Camp

The CI at WMU Curious Kids Summer Academy was

held at Portage Public Schools.

D r. J iwe i Fu t rave led to

Milan, Italy to attend the 2011

World University Confucius

Institute Conference. Both

Drs. Dunn and Light took part

in conference panels and Dr.

Dunn made a presentation on

the accomplishments of the

CI at WMU.

10. 20Milan Conference

9. 16 CI Team Building in Saugatuck!

President John M. Dunn,

Dr. T imothy L igh t and


The CI at WMU facilitated a visit by a group of professors and students from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts in Beijing from October 9-16. The

group visited the WMU Theatre Department with translation and transportation support provided by the CI at WMU, as well as with employees and units

within the Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education. The group also held a Chinese Opera presentation/performance at Portage Northern High School

on October 12 and joined the CI at WMU for a banquet.

10. 9 - 16 National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts Visit WMU



The Confucius Classroom Opening Ceremony was held at Portage Central High School, which

marked the approval of four Confucius Classrooms to be established at Amberly and Lake

Center Elementary schools and Portage Central and Northern High Schools. Among those

in attendance were Chen Weijia of the Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China

in Chicago, WMU President John M. Dunn, WMU Provost Tim Greene, Dr. Donald McCloud,

Dr. Jiwei Fu and Portage Public Schools Superintendent Ric Perry.

10. 25 Confucius Classroom Opening Ceremony

2011


The CI at WMU hosted three events to showcase

and demonstrate Chinese culture for International

Education Week at WMU: A China Quiz Bowl, Tai Chi

Hour, and a Window to China culture presentation.

11.14

11. 15

International Education Week

BLCU Professors Visit

BLCU Professors Cheng Juan and Shi Jiawei

visited the CI at WMU to give a presentation on

teaching methods to CI teachers and volunteers.

12. 16 6th Annual Confucius Institute Conference

2011

WMU Provost Tim Greene, Dr. Jiwei Fu and Samer Shammas, Operations Manager, Sr. for the

Haenicke Institute, traveled to Beijing to attend the 6th Annual Confucius Institute Conference.


1. 12 Airport GoodbyeAmberly Elementary school students traveled to

the Kalamazoo airport to bid farewell to CI at WMU

instructors Han Han and Jinwei Peng as they

departed for China. WMU Provost Tim Greene,

Dr. Donald McCloud, PPS Superintendent Ric

Perry and other Confucius Institute and Portage

Public School staff were also in attendance for this

heartwarming sendoff.

2012



1. 19 Campus Chinese New Year Celebration

The CI at WMU and the WMU Chinese language program co-hosted a Chinese New Year

celebration for the campus and community in WMU’s Sprau Tower. Participants celebrated the

holiday by watching an informational video, playing Chinese games, and enjoying snacks and

performances.

2012


1. 31 Jilin University Troupe Performance A Confucius Institute troupe from Jilin University performed Chinese

traditional dances and music at Portage West Middle School for a

group of 230 7th grade students and their teachers.



2012

The CI at WMU and the WMU Chinese language program co-hosted

the 13th Annual Chinese Speaking Contest at Western Michigan

University.

3. 22

2. 5

Speaking ContestThe CI at WMU hosted a farewell dinner at the Park Club for

five volunteer instructors who had finished their assignments

and were returning to China.

An open house was hosted at

Portage West Middle School,

where second graders from

Lake Center and Amber ly

Elementary schools showcased

their Chinese language skills.

Students and their families

enjoyed a Chinese dinner after

the performances.

5. 10 Open House for Portage Elementary Students

6. 12 Farewell Banquet


CI at WMU teachers and staff attended the 2012 Textbook Training Workshop

held at the Confucius Institute at Michigan State University. Teachers from

both CI’s exchanged ideas and discussed teaching strategies.

6. 28 Textbook Training Workshop

The Educational Exchange in China 2012 included four teachers from Portage Public Schools and the CI at WMU Coordinator Christina Paruch. Participants

spent one week in Beijing at BLCU studying Chinese language and culture, then traveled south to Shaoxing, Hangzhou and Shanghai for the second week.

7. 5-17 Educational Exchange in China



The Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs (MCAA) was held at WMU. A CI at

WMU informational computer kiosk was on display in the reception lobby of

the conference. The CI at WMU also hosted a conference panel titled, “Lessons

Learned from Implementation and Initial Research Results.” Presenters were Dr.

Donald McCloud, Dr. Jiwei Fu, Kimberly Ritter and Maran Subramanian.

CI at WMU teachers attended a day-long Asia Festival at Inland Lakes Schools

in Indian River, Michigan, where they demonstrated paper cutting, calligraphy,

Chinese games and culture. More than 80 7th and 8th grades students were

in attendance.

9. 21 10. 18Midwest Conference on Asian Affairs Asia Festival at Inland Lakes Schools

2012

A farewell banquet was held for Confucius Institute Associate Director Dr. Jiwei Fu,

celebrating three years of dedication to the CI at WMU.

9. 23 Farewell Dr. Fu


2013

A Chinese New Year celebration for campus and the community that

included Chinese dumplings, a presentation on the Chinese New

Year, and famous Chinese card games was hosted by the CI at WMU.

2. 8

4. 11

Campus Chinese New Year Celebration

Paper Cutting Workshop

The first Confucius Institute Paper Cutting

Workshop was held at WMU.

A Summer Festival was hosted at WMU that

included painting Chinese opera masks, an

introduction to Chinese music, games, and more.

6. 20 Summer Festival


Portage Public Schools 2nd grade Chinese language

students and their families went on a day trip to

Chicago’s Chinatown as part of the CI at WMU summer

camp. Families enjoyed a tour of Chinatown, a Chinese

lunch, a Chinese kite-making activity, and free time to

explore the numerous bakeries, grocery stores and gift

shops.

6. 25

10. 21, 11.18

Chicago China Town Trip

Held a class observation day in Portage and Kalamazoo. CI at

WMU Grand Rapids teachers traveled to Kalamazoo to observe

CI colleagues in their classrooms. In the evening, the CI team

visited Harvest Moon Acres, a fall night tradition, where the group

participated in team-building activities. November 18: CI at WMU

Kalamazoo and Portage teachers traveled to Grand Rapids to

observe CI colleagues in their classrooms. In the evening, the CI

team enjoyed a banquet together.

4. 10 Observation Day



2014

The Chinese New Year Gala at WMU featured traditional

food, staged performances, hands-on activities and games,

which helped campus and community members learn more

about the holiday and how it is traditionally celebrated.

The CI at WMU participated in the International

Culture Festival held at Moorsbridge Elementary

School in Portage.

1. 29 Chinese New Year Gala

3. 21International Culture Festival

The CI at WMU provided culture information and

demonstrations at the Shamrock Montessori

Kindergarten International Festival.

5. 31Shamrock Montessori Festival


Over 90 Forest Hills Public Schools and Greenville Public

Schools students and parents attended the Chicago

Chinatown bus day trip. The trip included a tour of

Chinatown, lunch, a tai chi demonstration and free time.

8. 23 Chicago Chinatown Trip



2014

CI at WMU staff participated in the Capitol City Dragon Boat Race

in Lansing, Michigan, where they raced against teams from other

universities and businesses.

9. 14

2. 5

Capitol City Dragon Boat Race

The first China Moon Festival was held at WMU, which attracted more than

800 people. The CI at WMU cosponsored the event, providing performances, a

cultural table and technical support. 9. 27 China Festival at WMU


The CI at WMU hosted a workshop series on Chinese knots, paper cutting and

Chinese calligraphy that attracted more than 30 participants.

Fall Chinese Culture Workshops



A p p e n d i x

Complete list of cosponsored lectures

CI at WMU administration, teachers and staff 2009 to 2014

October 11, 2010

Opening Ceremony for the Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies

Guest lecturer—Dr. Stephen Mackinnon, Arizona State University, presented a talk titled, “Impact of World War II on China: A Reevaluation.”

April 12-13, 2012

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. William Baxter, Associate Professor of Linguistics and Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan,

presented a talk on early Chinese language titled, “What was the Early Chinese Language Like?”

October 11, 2012

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Albert Dien, Stanford University, presented a talk titled, “The Origin Myth of the Xianbei: The Significance of the

Gaxiandong Cave.” Dr. Dien’s visit was cosponsored by WMU’s Department of History.

January 31, 2013

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Ling Wei, Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Cornell University and Professor of at China Foreign Affairs University,

presented a talk titled, “Rebalancing or Debalancing: The U.S. Strategies and New Asian Order.”

February 21, 2013

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Clara Ho, Professor of History at Hong Kong Baptist University and Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Northeastern

University, presented a talk titled, “Were Chinese Women Interested in History? Evidences from their Works in the Ming-Qing Period.” Cosponsored by

the WMU Department of Gender and Women’s Studies.

March 21, 2013

Lecture—Lei Pan, the School of Foreign Languages in Central China Normal University, presented a talk titled, “Second Language Education and

Applications in America and China,” in collaboration with WMU’s Department of World Languages and Literatures.

62 Appendix

September 17, 2013

Lecture—Dr. Shuming Zhao, President of the International Association of Chinese Management Research and Jiangsu Provincial Association of Human

Resource Management, presented a talk titled, “Human Resource Management in China Under the Transition Economy.” His lecture was cosponsored

by the Haworth College of Business and its Global Business Center.

October 23, 2013

Lecture—Dr. Yuan-Kang Wang, Associate Professor, WMU Department of Sociology, presented a talk titled, “Managing Hegemony in East Asia: China’s

Rise in Historical Perspective.”

November 7, 2013

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Paul Copp, Associate Professor of Chinese Religion and Thought, University of Chicago, presented a talk titled,

“Magical and Religious Seals and the Sources of Chinese Buddhism.”

November 21, 2013

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Tse-Kang Leng, Research Fellow, Institute of Political Science of Academia Sinica and Professor of Political Science

at National Chengchi University, presented a talk titled, “Taiwan and China in a World of Globalization.”

March 27, 2014

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Yukun Hu of Peking University presented a talk titled, “Rural Women’s Employment and the Chinese State:

60 Years of Changes.”

April 3, 2014

Lecture and lunch presentation—Dr. Tien-hui Chiang, National University of Tainan, presented a talk titled, “Globalization, Chinese Culture and the

Expansion of Higher Education System in Taiwan.”

63Appendix

CI at WMU Administrative and Operational Staff 2009-2014:

Administrative Staff

2013-2014

• DonaldMcCloud,Director

• HaitaoYu,AssociateDirector

• KimberlyRitter,AssistantDirectorforSchoolOutreach

• ChristinaParuch,ChineseProgramsCoordinator

2012-2013


• ShengangWang,ActingAssociateDirector



2011-2012


• JiweiFu,AssociateDirector



64 Appendix

2010-2011

• XiaojunWang,Director



• ChristinaParuch,AssistantforInternationalCentersandInstitutes

2009-2010

• XiaojunWang,Director



• NicholasDiFranco(Summer2010),AssistantforInternationalCentersandInstitutes

• JaimeLeBlanc-Hadley(Fall2009–Spring2010),AssistantforInternationalCentersandInstitutes

Operational Staff

2013-2014

• SamerShammas,ManagerofOperations

• LinjiaJiang,WebsiteManager

• MaranSubramain,GraduateResearchCoordinator

• HuamingWang,WMUStudentPaintingInstructor(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

65Appendix

2012-2013



• YuZhang,CultureClassIntern

• ZhiminMa,ConfuciusInstituteIntern


• ThaleaStokes,GraduateResearchAssistant


2011-2012

• BillWoods,ManagerofOperations


• ThaleaDavis,CultureClassIntern


• RanShi,GraduateResearchAssistant


2010-2011

• BillWoods,ManagerofOperations


• ThaleaDavis,CultureClassIntern


• RanShi,GraduateResearchAssistant


66 Appendix

2009-2010



• ThaleaDavisandKearaHopkins,CultureClassInterns(Summer2010)


Visiting Instructors and Volunteer Teachers

2013-2014

• AjunHe,Instructor(WMUChineseLanguageProgram)

• LiLiu,Instructor(ForestHillsPublicSchoolsEasternandNorthernHighSchool)

• ShengangWang,Instructor(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• QiongWang,Instructor(ForestHillsHighSchools)

• ChenxingFang,VolunteerTeacher(ForestHillsMeadowBrookElementarySchool)

• ZheFeng,VolunteerTeacher(MontessoriSchoolofKalamazoo)

• LinLi,VolunteerTeacher(ForestHillsMeadowBrookElementarySchool)

• BinMiao,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• LiWang,VolunteerTeacher(ForestHillsMeadowBrookElementaryandNorthernTrails)

• HuaXiao,VolunteerTeacher(ForestHillsMeadowBrookElementarySchool)

• RuyuanYang,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• JunZeng,VolunteerTeacher(PortageNorthernandPortageCentralHighSchools)

• LinZhang,VolunteerTeacher(PortageAmberlyandLakeCenterElementarySchools)

• XuZhou,VolunteerTeacher(PortageNorthernHighSchool)

• YunZhou,VolunteerTeacher(PortageAmberlyandLakeCenterElementary)

67Appendix

2012-2013

• QiongWang,Instructor(ForestHillsHighSchools)

• ShengangWang,Instructor(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• YuanyuanCai,VolunteerTeacher(PortageLakeCenterElementarySchool)

• ShashaLiu,VolunteerTeacher(PortageAmberlyElementarySchool)

• YinLong,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• JingYang,VolunteerTeacher(ForestHillsMeadowBrookElementarySchool)

• JunZeng,VolunteerTeacher(PortageNorthernandCentralHighSchools)

2011-2012

• HanHan,Instructor(PortageAmberlyElementarySchool,Fall2011)

• JinweiPeng,Instructor(PortageLakeCenterElementarySchool,Fall2011)

• YangDu,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• ShaLiu,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses;PortagePublicSchoolsAmberlyElementarySchool,Spring2012)

• XiaojingYang,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• HanZhang,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses;PortageNorthernHighSchool,Spring2012)

• LinaZhang,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses;PortageLakeCenterElementarySchool,Spring2012)

2010-2011

• HanHan,Instructor(PortageAmberlyElementarySchool)

• JinweiPeng,Instructor(PortageLakeCenterElementarySchool)

• YingjieChi,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• KunMa,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• XunSun,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• XiaojingYang,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

68 Appendix

2009-2010

• HanHan,Instructor(PortageAmberlyElementarySchool)

• JinweiPeng,Instructor(PortageLakeCenterElementarySchool)

• YimingFu,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• BinLiu,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

• XuZhang,VolunteerTeacher(ConfuciusInstituteChineseCultureClasses)

Diether H. Haenicke Institute for Global Education at WMU

The following staff provide continual and ongoing support to the program:

• BillieBlake,BudgetAssistant

• LeeRyder,ImmigrationOfficer

• TaraSeverino,ImmigrationAdvisor

• MargaretvonSteinen,CommunicationsOfficer

69Appendix

Creative Director: Linjia Jiang

Managing Editor: Christina Paruch

Editorial Director: Margaret von Steinen

2009-2014 Five Year Report


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