USC Rossier Students Bound for Beijing

Photo and Story by Norm Schneider
This article was originally published on June 16, 2007 by USC News

Eight students from the USC Rossier School of Education’s Master of Education in Postsecondary Administration and Student Affairs program will travel to Beijing on Saturday.

Joined on the two-week visit by professor Alex Jun, the students’ trip to China is part of a special topics course called “Student Affairs’ Work in the People’s Republic of China. “

A memorandum was signed by the two institutions in fall 2006; the trip is part of the USC Rossier School’s ongoing partnership with Peking University.

The goal of the trip to Peking University is to work with their school of education on “mutual projects of interest,” according to Dean Karen Symms Gallagher. “Although this is the first group of our students to participate in this effort, I hope that we can eventually provide a similar international experience for all students (in the program).”

While in Beijing, the students will make presentations on various subjects such as student outreach, volunteerism, academic advisement, Greek life, admissions, and student affairs and advocacy. The students are Jennifer Brown, Shirley Chan, Kindra Covert, Christopher Grillo, Lauren Thomas, Michelle Tsigaridas, Katherine Searing and Felipe Martinez.

The 10-day trip will include visits to Tsinghua University and Capital Normal University.

USC Rossier is one of the founding schools of the USC in China Initiative, the purpose of which is to develop graduate and professional education programs and research opportunities between Peking University and USC.

Earlier this year, Gallagher, Jun and other USC Rossier representatives met with counterparts in China to prepare for a summer Ed.D. program at Peking University, where Jun and Mike Diamond, professor of accounting in the USC Leventhal School of Accounting, will be guest instructors.