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More than 70 area superintendents and principals will participate in Miami's first Confucius Institute conference to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26, at the Marcum Conference Center.
Focus of the conference is to encourage and assist area educators in developing a Chinese language program within their school districts.
Miami welcomed Ohio's first Confucius Institute in August. The institute received $100,000 in program funds from HanBan, the Confucius Institute headquarters in Beijing. Located around the world, Confucius Institutes promote the study of Chinese language and culture.
Encouraged by the number of conference registrations, Quanyu Huang, director of Miami's institute, says it's imperative that educators understand Ohio's role in international economy and the need for Chinese education in the schools. "There is a large gap between educational offerings and business reality," he said. "I know of only the Winton Woods school district offering a course in Chinese language in our immediate area. Ohio has about 40 school districts offering courses. Local businesses already enjoy the entrepreneur opportunities now available in China."
Conference speakers include Roger Jenkins, dean of Miami's School of Business, who will discuss the need to foster students in the school's China Business Program to match the growing Chinese economy and market. Karen Schilling, dean of Miami's College of Arts and Science, will discuss internationalization and American education.
Other topics to be addressed include benefits to starting Chinese programs and federal government grant opportunities.
To register for the conference, contact the institute at 9-1849.
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