Somewill take with them new bilateral research projects, most will return with a diverse new range of teaching methodologies, and they will all go home with a new awareness of Australian culture – courtesy of 45 Bendigo families who contributed their homes, hospitality and friendship to the visiting scholars.
The academics - from five Chinese universities in Shanghai, Beijing and Jiangsu Province - will be farewelled in Bendigo this Friday (August 31) by the Mayor of the City of Great Bendigo, Cr Julie Rivendell, and Cr Wayne Gregson, senior La Trobe University academics, and their “homestay” Australian families.
The visitors are principally professors from diverse disciplines including humanities and social sciences, engineering, management, science, education, foreign studies, politics, media, the law and electronic and information technology, medicine, literature and others - from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (Shanghai), University of Science and Technology Beijing (Beijing), Nantong University (Jiangsu), East China University of Science and Technology (Shanghai), and Shanghai Southwest Engineering School of China (Shanghai).
They bring to 261 the number of Chinese senior academics and administrative officers who have benefited fromLa Trobe Bendigo’s English and Education Short Course Training Program since it began in 2002, specifically to provide Chinese university teachers with high-level English language and teaching skills in an English language environment.
The visitors will leave their own cultural imprint on the Bendigo environment – through the reciprocity of their homestay experiences, a two-way business seminar in which they introduced Bendigo people to economic and educational information about China, and a six-week (two days a week) free Chinese language course provided for La Trobe staff and Bendigo residents.
“It’s testimony to the real cultural exchange that flows from this program that more than 10 Bendigo families have visited China since it began,” says Julian Zhang, La Trobe Manager International Short Courses.
The academics will be farewelled at the Burnett Lounge, Halls of Residence, Osborne Street, Bendigo, from 6.00 – 9.30 pm, Friday 31 August.
Monday, 3 September 2007Mayor of Bendigo to farewell La Trobe’s 55 Chinese scholarsIt’s a lot more than an expanded English vocabulary that will go home with 55 bilingual Chinese academics when they return to their institutions in China after three months’ English and education training at La Trobe University’s Bendigo campus.
Interviews/picture opportunities
Sally Routledge T +613 5444 7374 M +61 408 357 972 E s.routledge@latrobe.edu.au
Further information
Julian Zhang T+ 613 5444 7384 E julian.zhang@latrobe.edu.au
Website: http://www.latrobe.edu.au/community/prof-dev/int_shortcourses.htm