Training

Today's Chinese Student: Cultural Insights for Better Integration

Invite your colleagues to join this webinar! NAFSA webinars are a cost-effective method of staying abreast of the hottest topics facing the field today. With one computer and a projection screen, your attendance is only limited by the number of available chairs!

Description

Today's Chinese students are different from the students of previous decades, and they are enrolling in unprecedented numbers in U.S. colleges and universities. It is becoming increasingly important for campuses to understand these students and how to bridge the cultural gap between them and other international and domestic students. How do group culture and shared experience affect the cultural and social integration of Chinese students on your campus? What are some of the best practices you can implement to gain campus-wide support for orienting and supporting these students?

This webinar will bring together experts in the field to share their experiences in a variety of different roles on campus. Yenbo Wu, PhD, associate vice president for International Programs at San Francisco State University, will discuss the differences between current and past Chinese students while contributing a unique perspective based on his current leadership role. Jayme Harpring, PhD, an adjunct instructor and research associate at Florida State University, will share her expertise with pedagogical approaches to improving the meaningfulness of interactions between domestic and international students both inside and outside the classroom. In addition, Peter Briggs will discuss practical strategies and models for how to integrate students into the campus and community based on his work as the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Michigan State University, where 11 percent of their new students and 77 percent of their new international students are from China.

Objectives

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

• Understand how today's Chinese students differ from those of the past and how group culture and shared experience impact cultural and social integration.
• Apply the basics of intercultural communication to bridge the cultural gap between U.S. and international students.
• Utilize best practices for orienting and supporting Chinese students and gaining campus-wide support for these initiatives.

New NAFSA Webinar Series

Today's Chinese Student
This webinar is the second in a new three-part webinar series on working with Chinese undergraduates on U.S. campuses. The series focuses on the integration of Chinese students into campus life, the classroom, and the community. Learn about the needs of Chinese students, and develop your understanding of their cultural and academic background and preparedness.

Presenters

Peter Briggs
Director, Office of International Students and Scholars

Michigan State University (2006 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization Recipient) 

Peter Briggs has served as the director of the Office of International Students and Scholars at Michigan State University (MSU) since October 2001. He has more than 30 years’ experience working in international student and scholar services. Prior to coming to MSU, Briggs served in a number of administrative roles at the University of Oregon and was a grants administrator at the Institute of International Education.

He has held a variety of leadership roles and has served on boards for NAFSA, the Council of International Schools, and Educational Evaluators, Inc. Peter holds a BA in history from the University of Washington and a master's degree in education policy and management from the University of Oregon. His extensive professional travels have taken him throughout Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Jayme Harpring, PhD
Adjunct Instructor and Research Associate
Florida State University

Jayme Harpring, PhD, is an adjunct instructor and research associate at the Florida State University School of Communication and is affiliated with the FSU Center for Intercultural Communication and Research.  Since 2009, Harpring has led intercultural communication classes for undergraduate domestic and international students, including a large number of Chinese students. In 2010 and 2011, Harpring coordinated efforts for the Center for Global Engagement at FSU regarding the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq. Since 2002, she has conducted coaching and editing for international scholars and graduate students in the United States and Korea. Her varied background includes working as a teacher of English as a foreign language to adults in France, writing for the state of Florida Department of Education's Office of Policy Research and Improvement, and working as an adolescent and family counselor. Harpring received a BA in psychology and a certificate in education from Barnard College, an MA in community psychology from Temple University, and a PhD in communication theory from Florida State University.

Yenbo Wu, PhD
Associate Vice President, International Programs
San Francisco State University (2012 Senator Paul Simon Award for Campus Internationalization Recipient) 

Yenbo Wu, PhD, has been the associate vice president for International Education at San Francisco State University since January 2007, having served as director of the Office of International Programs and Associate Professor in educational administration and interdisciplinary studies from July 2000. Previously, he was director of the Office of International Studies and Programs at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. From 1991 to 1996, Wu was at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, first as an international program coordinator and then as director of International Student Programs and Recruitment.

Wu received his undergraduate education in English language and literature from Capital Normal University in Beijing. He earned his MEd in Teaching English as a Second Language and his PhD in comparative and international education, both from the University at Buffalo. Wu is a former Executive Committee member of the Association of International Education Administrators and member of the Internationalization Working Group of the California State University System. He is currently a member of NAFSA's Board of Directors.