The purpose of this summer program is to continue our non-English graduate students’ Academic Reading and Writing honor class in American and British universities or colleges. It was launched in the fall of 2014 by the School of Graduate Studies and the School of English for Specific Purposes to help students enhance their critical thinking skills, gain intercultural experiences, and complete a broad array of research projects with the help of American and British professors.

In July of 2015, the program participants received special academic training at Cambridge University and Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. It proved to be very successful for the program students. We are now moving this program to the University of Kansas, USA in the summer of 2016 because of its unique central geographical location, distinctive teaching reputation, and caliber of research.

The program is very competitive. Students must pass TEM-8 (Test for English Majors Band 8) and make outstanding academic achievements every semester with an average GPA 3.8.

BFSU students not only study foreign languages but also pursue high-level scholarship in other disciplines, including International Relations, Diplomacy, Business, Computer Science, Law, Art and Journalism and Communication. Students admitted have high entrance test scores compared to their peers and, in the future, we even plan to expand the program by inviting some outstanding undergraduate students to study abroad. Participating undergraduate students will have undergone two years of rigorous training in the language of the country they apply for (French students go to France; Romanian majors to Romania, etc.) BFSU offers more than 65 foreign languages, with more to be added in the near future.

We hope to continue and strengthen our cooperation with all the competent universities around the world, such as Skagit Valley College in Washington State, the University of Kansas, USA and the University of Cambridge, the University of Lancaster, and the University of Nottingham.

EXCHANGE PROGRAM  between SKAGIT VALLEY COLLEGE (USA) and BEIJING FOREIGN STUDIES UNIVERSITY

This exchange program was established in 1988 to promote the learning of Chinese and English (American) languages and civilizations, and further mutual understanding and friendship between the peoples of the United States and the People’s Republic of China. Skagit Valley College (SVC) and Beijing Foreign Studies University (BFSU) agree to exchange faculty members on a yearly basis. Either institution will nominate and send one faculty member to the other party institution to teach for a specified, mutually agreeable time period. The SVC lecturer will teach English language, culture or related courses at BFSU, while the BFSU lecturer will teach Chinese language/Chinese culture and history at SVC. Both SVC and BFSU agree to the exchange of educational materials, textbooks, reference works, publications and audio/video tapes. SVC and BFSU agree to work cooperatively to explore options for other exchange, research and study opportunities, both long and short term, which may include students, faculty, and staff from both institutions, and community members, and to initiate those options that are mutually beneficial and agreed to by both parties.

Since the founding of the School of English for Specific Purposes (SESP) in 2008, ten SESP faculty members have taught courses at SVC, primarily Chinese, World Literature, and tai chi, while eight SVC members have taught English Writing, Oral English, and English Listening at SESP. Also, the two parties have organized the summer exchange student program in which the SESP members lectured for SVC students. So far, the SVC president, vice president, and project manager have visited BFSU. The most recent one was President Thomas A. Keegan’s visit to SESP in the fall of 2014.