St. Cloud State University

Confucius Institute Annual Report

2017

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The SCSU Confucius Institute (CI) is focused on the development and sustainability of

Chinese language and culture programs around Central MN and West Fargo, ND. The

SCSU Confucius Institute’s partner organization in China is Jilin Hanban within the Jilin

Provincial Education Department. The work and activities of the SCSU CI are driven by

an annual work plan and 2016-2020 Strategic Plan. A new Advisory Board consisting of

SCSU faculty, students and administrators and community partner organization members

was approved on October 30, 2017, under the leadership of the Chair of the Board President

Ashish Vaidya.

Mission Statement - The Mission of the Confucius Institute at St. Cloud State University

is to foster global competencies through the promotion of Chinese language and culture

learning within the curriculum, campus and local and global communities. We aspire to

promote and communicate opportunities that exist between the Confucius Institute and the

university in-order-to serve and assist in the success of “Our Husky Compact” and SCSU

Strategic Plan.

Vision Statement - The Confucius Institute at St. Cloud State University is dedicated to

developing opportunities and partnerships for increasing global competencies and building

bridges between US and China through Chinese language and culture teaching and learning

for all students at SCSU, within our preK-12 partner schools and our local community.

Office Hours Contact

Monday through Friday Phone – 320-308-3138

9:00 AM to 12:00 PM Director: Dr. Kathy Johnson

1:00 PM to 4:00 PM Co-Director: Prof. Lixin Zhou

Location: The SCSU Confucius Institute is housed in the School of Education at St. Cloud

State University. Address: SCSU Confucius Institute, 720 4th Avenue South, St. Cloud,

MN 56301.

ABOUT THE SCSU

CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE

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FROM THE DIRECTOR

Dr. Kathryn Johnson

This year the SCSU Confucius celebrated numerous events and activities on campus and

within the community. One event of significance was the ten-year anniversary of the

Chinese immersion program hosted in St. Cloud in September. The immersion program is

providing an opportunity for local students to grow into global citizens and ambassadors.

This was evident during the March delegation to China with the 8-9 grade students who

grew up in the program. They shared presentations in Chinese and impressed Chinese

people who were surprised to hear American students speak Chinese so well. We had two

other high impact education abroad programs. One was with our SCSU students and

another was a leadership delegation for SCSU faculty, school administrators and

community partners. These opportunities transform the lives of those who participate. We

are grateful for the scholarships through Hanban to make these possible for all who

participate.

We were excited to welcome 22 new guest teachers this fall who are serving as Language

Ambassadors in the local programs. These teachers are bringing China to the classrooms

and providing a deeper understanding and appreciation of Chinese language and culture.

We are also excited about our new partnership with the Harkin Institute of Public Policy

and Citizen Engagement that will strengthen our work in disability advocacy. As we move

forward in our work in leading and championing the inclusion and engagement of people

with disabilities in our efforts within the Confucius Institute global network, we will

continue to seek strong partners who will embrace the challenges, benefits and positive

outcomes together. Through this means, we aspire to promote and demonstrate that all

people hold potential for becoming global leaders in the 21st century.

I am extremely honored to continue to serve as the Director of the SCSU Confucius

Institute.

With gratitude,

Kathy

Since our Opening Ceremony in May of 2014, we have

continued to build partnerships and programs that promote

the teaching and learning of Chinese language and culture.

Currently, more than 5000 students are able to gain an

understanding and appreciation of China through the support

of Hanban. An emphasis this last year was to strengthen

partnerships with faculty and administrators on campus. It is

an honor to work with the excellent faculty and administrators

of SCSU, bringing knowledge and understanding of US

China relations to students and the community.

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2017 CONFERENCES and WORKSHOPS

National Chinese Language

Conference (NCLC):

Dr. Johnson, Sarah How and Yuan Lu had

a presentation at the NCLC held in

Houston, Texas in April of 2017. The

presentation focused on implementation

of the Nurtured Heart Approach in

Chinese immersion and language

programs with emphasis on strategies for

working with children with special needs.

US Confucius Institute: Dr. Johnson and Dr. Zheng were invited to present at the US

Confucius Institute in Washington, D.C. The presentation shared information about the

Confucius Classroom and experience of Dr. Zheng at Metro Deaf School teaching

Chinese sign language.

Changchun University 30 Year Anniversary: Dr. Johnson was invited to present on her

work on including and engaging people with disabilities in cross-cultural exchanges and

the strategic planning of Confucius Institutes. The celebration was attended by national

leaders in special education, inclusive of China Disabled Persons Federation.

Quzhou Confucius Celebration: Dr. Johnson was invited to attend the celebration of the

birthday of Confucius in Quzhou as a guest of a delegation of CI Directors from around

the world. The event was attended by 15 Directors from 10 different countries. It was a

very inspirational conference celebrating Confucius history and philosophy.

University of Missouri and University of Michigan Disability Presentations:

Dr. Johnson was invited to present during Disability Awareness Week by the Confucius

Institute Directors in Missouri and Michigan. The presentations shared information on the

work of the SCSU CI including and engaging people with disabilities into the strategic

planning of the Confucius Institutes.

Miami International Symposium on Chinese Culture, the Symposium on Chinese

Cinema & Culture: Co-director Professor Lixin Zhou attended a series of activities at

2017 Miami Film Festival in May of 2017 and participated in panel discussion by directors

of Confucius Institutes which were hosted by Miami Dade College Confucius

Institute. All participants communicated with one another about the promotion of Chinese

culture from different perspectives.

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CHINA DELEGATIONS

SCSU Chinese Immersion 8-9 Grade Winter Camp ~ March 2017

SCSU Student China Education Abroad ~ May 2017

Winter Camp this year was more than just another

delegation to China as the students from St. Cloud

Chinese immersion were the first kindergarten students

in the program in 2007. The camp consisted of cultural

and educational visits in Beijing and Changchun. While

in Changchun, the students stayed with a host family,

experienced classes with Chinese students, visited

universities and learned how to make dumplings. It was

an amazing two weeks in China for all who

participated.

The SCSU Student China Education Abroad program

focused on comparative perspectives of social issues

between China and the U.S. The group visited Beijing and

Siping, China. While in Beijing, we visited the US

Embassy, historical cultural sites and had seminars with

China Women’s University. While in Siping, we were

hosted by Jilin Normal University where the students

participated in numerous cultural activities and stayed

with a host family. It was a life changing experience!

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SCSU Education Leadership Delegation~ June 2017

The Education Leadership Delegation consisted of representatives from our Confucius

Classrooms, SCSU faculty and invited guests Joseph Jones from the Harkin Institute

and two ASL interpreters Linda Stauffer and Reen McCaffrey. This year our delegation

was honored to have President Vaidya and AVP Shahzad Ahmad join us for meetings

in Beijing and Changchun. A signing ceremony was held at Changchun University

where President Vaidya and Party Secretary Zhao signed a new Memorandum of

Understanding between the two universities. This partnership will open doors for

including students who are deaf and blind and students who are majoring in special

education. The closing night was a very special night for delegation members where

each shared impact stories of their time in China. We were all deeply touched by Dr. Hu

Renyou sharing his personal story of growing up in China. Thank you, Dr. Hu.

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LANGUAGE PROGRAMS

Midwest Regional Chinese Bridge Speech Contest Valparaiso University, Indiana

HSK/YCT Testing and Results

YCT 2

Tested

YCT 2

Passed

YCT 3

Tested

YCT 3

Passed

2017 38 38 26 26

HSK 2 Tested

HSK 2 Passed

HSK3 Tested

HSK 3 Passed

HSK4 Tested

HSK 4 Passed

HSK 5 Tested

HSK 5 Passed

HSK 6 Tested

HSK 6 Passed

2017 38 34 66 55 6 6 2 2 2 2

This year our SCSU Confucius Institute

had two local Chinese immersion

students, Elizabeth Weitzel and Thomas

Otto, participate in the Midwest

Regional Chinese Bridge Speech

Contest in May of 2017. Both studied

and practiced very hard for this event

with Li Yao and gave it their best effort!

The SCSU Confucius Institute offers the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK) and Youth

Chinese Test (YCT) to students of all ages in the academic year. So far this year, 178

students from Minnesota’s K-12 schools took the YCT and HSK tests. Minnesota

students have continuously demonstrated high pass rates on these proficiency exams,

which are used by schools to measure progress and proficiency, and serve as an

important benchmark in demonstrating achievement to the Minnesota Department of

Education.

100% 100%

YCT 2 YCT 3

89.47%83.33%

100% 100% 100%

HSK 2 HSK 3 HSK4 HSK5 HSK6

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CULTURAL PROGRAMS

Chinese Spring Festival February 2017

Confucius Classrooms and the SCSU community were invited to attend the Chinese Spring

Festival at SCSU where Chinese traditional dance and celebration occurred.

March Post-Delegation Family Get-together April 2017

SCSU Mainstreet and Education Abroad Fair Fall 2017

SCSU CI Volunteer Teacher Du Shiyang (Cindy) and Levi Johnson, SCSU CI scholarship

student, assisted in promoting cultural programs on the campus of SCSU. Students who

attended were encouraged to consider taking Chinese and participate in exchange programs

to China through the SCSU CI.

Chinese Immersion Students from St. Cloud

Area Schools presented to their families about

their experience in China in March. A local

Chinese music group performed and shared

information about traditional Chinese

instruments. The video produced by Jilin

Hanban was viewed bringing back great

memories of a fantastic experience in China.

Over Over 17,000 people have viewed the video! The parents were extremely grateful for the

opportunity to have their children experience China and use their Chinese language.

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10 Year St. Cloud Immersion Picnic and Confucius Day Celebration by

Lake George September 2017

Mid-Autumn Festival 2017: Collaboration with CSSA October 2017

Confucius Institute Day was celebrated this year in September in conjunction with the

10-year anniversary of the Chinese immersion program in St. Cloud School’s Confucius

Classroom. Families and friends of the local immersion programs came together to

celebrate the development, sustainability and success of the programs in the community.

The partnership with SCSU CI and the Chinese immersion program has greatly

contributed to this success. Local students are becoming linguistically and globally

competent with bright futures as leaders in business, education, government and

international organizations.

The SCSU Confucius Institute annually

partners with the SCSU China Student and

Scholar Association on a fall event. This

year, the Mid-Autumn Festival welcomed

more than 450 participants to the event.

The evening consisted of performances by

SCSU students and local community

members. AVP Shahzad Ahmad opened

the event with a Welcome Speech. Numerous students from the local Chinese

language programs attended with their

families. It was a great evening of

celebration!

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ANNUAL SEMINARS AND WORKSHOPS

Change Maker Day – LILA Summer Camp (Leading with Empathy Workshop)

One Belt, One Road Seminar - Collaborative Seminar with Dr. Alvin Yu

Women in China Workshop:

Collaboration with Department of Sociology and China Women’s University

Amit Dodani was invited to facilitate a

“Change Maker Day Workshop” that was

attended by Lakes International Language

Academy Chinese immersion students and

students from China attending a summer camp.

The workshop focused on empathy and

leadership development for the young students.

The culminating activities were small group

presentations by students on how they would

address a global issue confronting our world.

Dr. Jiping Zuo hosted a presentation by

visiting guests Professor Shi Tong and

Professor Li Jie from China Women’s

University. The presentation was on the

confinement of women after giving birth and

the cultural history and impact of this practice

in China. The session was engaging and

thought provoking, providing an opportunity

for participants to learn about a rich, cultural

heritage of Chinese women and their babies.

Dr. Alvin Yu from the SCSU Geography

Department facilitated an engaging and

interesting panel presentation on the “One Belt

One Road” initiative in China. Panelist shared

about the leadership role that China has in

building a strong network of cities along the

Silk Road and ports along the maritime routes.

The dialogue and question and answer session

provided opportunities for students and faculty

to learn about this initiative that is contributing

significantly to the economic development of

this region of the world.

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CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE TEACHERS

2017-2018 CI Teacher Orientation and Fall Training

The SCSU Confucius Institute welcomed 22 new teachers for the 2017-2018 school

year. This was done in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Education, Center

for International Studies at St. Cloud State University and the division of teachers in

Hanban, China.

Partnering with multiple departments on campus and the school district, the SCSU

Confucius Institute provided a week-long orientation packed with workshops and

seminars to all the new and returning teachers to provide up-to-date information and to

guide them on how to excel in teaching in their respective classrooms. The teachers are

all completing weekly online blogs about their experiences. This is part of a

collaborative research project with Dr. Plamen Miltenoff from the SCSU Library

Administration.

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CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS

My name is Schuyler Zabinski. I had the amazing

opportunity of studying abroad in China with the

help of the Confucius Institute. I’ve always had an

interest in going abroad and a special interest with

the culture and complexity of the Chinese language.

The Confucius Institute grants scholarships to

students from any major who possess the required

language competencies. I completed my year abroad

in Shanghai. During the year, we were given many

chances to travel with our class to other cities to experience part of Chinese history. All

in all, I suggest anyone with an interest in studying abroad in China to utilize the fantastic

opportunity that is offered through the Confucius Institute.

My name is Martina Petit. About two years ago I

was struggling with where and how to go forward

with my passion for Chinese language. I thought

about transferring colleges, but things fell through

and I was feeling as if I had reached a dead end. That

was when the Confucius Institute on our campus

reached out to me about scholarship opportunities

and help with HSK test preparation. Everyone in the

CI has been welcoming and supportive of me and

my goals and dreams from the moment I first

walked in. I was provided with guidance and

teaching which helped me pass the HSK Level 3

Chinese proficiency test and assisted in applying for

study abroad scholarships. This led me to going

abroad for one academic year in Beijing, China at

Beijing Language and Culture University to further

study Mandarin Chinese. I have met so many unique people in my travels and have grown

so much as a person through my experiences with another culture. Not to mention that

the fluidity and ease of my Chinese has surpassed that which any amount of self-teaching

or any amount of American classroom learning could have instilled in me. Through it all,

the Confucius Institute continued to keep in contact with me and I was fortunate to be

visited in Beijing by several groups of St. Cloud teachers and students and share my

knowledge with them. Through this I have always felt that I have a community of support

behind me every step of the way. Now that I am back at SCSU I am so lucky to be

continuing to work with Kathy Johnson and everyone else affiliated with the Confucius

Institute as I prepare to graduate in the spring through all their collective help over the

years and I couldn’t be more grateful.

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SPECIAL EVENTS

Harkin Fellow Celebration - Dr. Amy Hebert Knopf and Dr. Xuan Zheng

Welcoming Binhai Students: Orientation Dinner and Seminar

SCSU CI Visiting Scholar Dr. Xuan Zheng and SCSU Faculty Dr. Amy Hebert Knopf were

both named Harkin Fellows by the Harkin Institute on Public Policy and Citizenship

Engagement. They are collaborating on research projects that will contribute to the

advancement of deaf education and employment in China. As a SCSU Visiting Scholar, Dr.

Zheng visited 6 schools for the deaf across the US to learn about best practices in deaf

education. This work will contribute to the development of a network of schools for the deaf

that embrace the teaching and learning of Chinese sign language and culture within their

schools. Both were special invited guests to the Harkin Summit in Washington, DC in

November. 2017. An event hosted at SCSU in early September shared details about this

partnership with the deaf community and our SCSU Confucius Institute teachers.

The SCSU CI is partnering with the Herberger Business School and their 2 plus 2 program

with Binhai College of Nankai University. Currently, over 150 Chinese students are taking

part in this program. The CI collaborates on the integration of these students into the local

SCSU community, inclusive of volunteering in the immersion programs and staying with

local host families for cross cultural sharing.

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CONFUCIUS CLASSROOMS

CONFUCIUS INSTIUTE LIBRARY AND RESOURCE CENTER

The Confucius Classrooms have impacted more than 5000 local students in K-12

classrooms. The CI Teachers (Experienced, Volunteer and Student Interns) all add

excellent value to the local schools. Students in these programs now know more about

China through the work and effort of these teachers. We are all very grateful for the

demanding work and determination of these teachers to make a difference and serve as

Ambassadors between China and the US. The SCSU Center for International Studies is

a key partner in this work and assists in the visa processing and orientation.

The SCSU CI Library continues to serve as a Resource Center for students and faculty.

Hanban donated books serve as a resource for understanding China, Chinese language,

culture and rich history. Numerous students use the CI computer lab for studying and

work on classroom projects. Our Chinese professor, Ms. Sun Yidan, also maximizes the

Resource Center for Chinese language tutoring.

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SCSU CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Advisory Board Members 2017-2020:

Chair of the Board~ President Ashish Vaidya

Provost of SCSU~ Dr. Daniel Gregory

Associate Vice President of the Center of International Studies~ Shahzad Ahmad

Director of the SCSU Confucius Institute~ Dr. Kathryn Johnson

Minnesota Department of Education: Special Assistant to the Commissioner~ Elia

Bruggeman

World Savvy CEO~ Dana Mortenson

Chinese Immersion/Confucius Classroom Administrator Lakes International Language

Academy~ Shannon Peterson

Study Minnesota/Community Member/Parent of Chinese immersion student~ Rachel

Limon

Local Business Partner- Vice President of Human Resources, Microbiologic/Parent of

Chinese immersion student (SCSU Alumni) ~ Aaron Fisk

Chinese Business Community Member and Education Consultant~ Dr. Hong Yang

US SCSU Faculty~ Dr. Amy Knopf

Chinese SCSU Faculty~ Dr. Jim Chen

SCSU China Student and Scholar Association President~ Jiaxing Zhang

SCSU Student Recipient of CI Scholarship~ Martina Petit

Member of the Deaf Community/SCSU ASL Instructor~ Sherri Rademacher

Community Partner~ Harkin Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship Engagement

Executive Director~ Joseph Jones

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SCSU CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE STAFF

Visiting Teachers and Their Placements

Professor Lixin Zhou

Co-Director

Charith Rozairo, M.S.

Program Coordinator

Dr. Kathryn Johnson

Director

Teachers for

Lakes International Language Academy Teachers for

District 742 Schools

Teachers for

SCSU Confucius Institute Teachers for

West Fargo Public School

Teacher for

Cathedral Highschool

Teachers for

Sauk Rapids Rice School District First Student Intern from

Changchun University

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