RSOE Students Participate in China Exchange

Story originally published Fall/Winter 2007-2008 by UrbanEd

By Jennifer Brown, M.E. PASA ’07, and Alex Jun, associate professor

Last fall, the Rossier School signed a memorandum of understanding with the Graduate School of Education at Peking University (PKU) to support program development and faculty/student collaboration. The agreement included having faculty and student visitors at both institutions, research collaboration, and continuing efforts to develop joint educational programs.

As part of the exchange, a special topics course, “Student Affairs and Higher Education Administration in the People’s Republic of China,” was offered by Associate Professor Alexander Jun during the summer. The course included the history, culture and higher education system of China, and culminated in a two-week trip to Beijing. The students in the course are all working toward their master’s degree in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs (ME PASA) and most work in an academic or student affairs departments of a university.

The trip to Beijing helped the students learn first hand about the actual workings of educational administration in general, and student affairs in particular from the staff, faculty and students that experience it. They were also able to share their experiences as students and staff in U.S. institutions.

The PASA students had the opportunity to meet with administrators, faculty and students at three different educational institutions: Peking University, the preeminent institution in China, Tsinghua University, the top science and engineering institution, and Capital Normal University, a smaller college that focuses on teacher preparation.

At each school the focus varied slightly. At Beijing the focus was on the exchange of information and the building of a stronger relationship. There students met with Dr. Dongmao Wen, dean of the Graduate School of Education and an associate professor. Students also met with members of the Communist Youth League (student activities), the Career Center administration and the Student Counseling and Psychological Center.

At Tsinghua University they met with a group of undergraduate engineering students who were coming to USC for a month of study. At Capital Normal University students met with a group of administrators and faculty, as well as a group of undergraduate and graduate students. As a teaching college, Capital Normal University’s student affairs philosophy was quite similar to the approach that many U.S. universities espouse.

The PASA students found it important for student affairs’ administrators to participate in these types of exchanges. As academic programs begin to focus on globalization and study abroad opportunities increase, those who work closely with students need to have a global perspective.