GEI PMP students celebrate the start of new term
Global Education Institute (GEI)’s 2014 Pre-Master Program (PMP) students received a warm welcome from the University of North Carolina (UNC) Chapel Hill School of Education (SOE) during a dinner and reception at George Watts Hill Alumni Center Sep. 5.
The SOE organized the event to welcome 2014 PMP students. SOE Dean Bill McDiarmid and GEI CEO Jason Li welcomed the students, along with Director of the Carolina Center for Educational Excellence Björn Hennings, PMP Student Director Nick Cabot and UNC professor Suzanne Gulledge.
The welcome dinner gave the PMP students opportunities to meet and talk with the UNC faculty. Previous PMP students now enrolled in the SOE MA in International Education program shared their experiences with the new PMP students.
McDiarmid spoke about his expectations of the students and pointed out the different ways international students interact with educators through different perspectives and methods of thought. Li offered a welcoming address, congratulated students for their successes, urged students to make full use of the resources offered by GEI and UNC, and encouraged each student to engage with their professors and counselors.
Li also announced a new GEI scholarship program. GEI will offer 10 travel grants to senior administrators who seek partnerships with Chinese institutions. Each $5,000 grant will cover travel and lodging related costs for American educators to work with one of GEI’s Chinese partners.
China is the priority focus of the UNC system’s international strategy and GEI’s hopes its participation can propel UNC’s ‘Go China’ initiatives, Li said.
