TL20061002-01 "Brian Stelter Editor in Chief The students wore caps and gowns. They listened to a series of speakers. They strolled across stage, shook hands with the pro-vost, and received their degrees. Towson University�s Aug. 18 ceremony for education graduates was like any other, except this graduation didn�t happen in the Towson Center. It happened in Shanghai, China. For the second consecutive year, Towson awarded master of education in secondary education diplomas to Chinese teachers. A third group of students started taking classes in July and will graduate next August. The Master�s program in Shanghai is the boldest step Towson has taken in China, but it�s not the only one. The University offers Chinese languag-es classes on campus and at a local high school, brings Chinese principals to Maryland for leader-ship training programs, and sends students and faculty members to China for exchanges and study abroad experiences. �Normally you have to have a partner university in China to offer a Master�s degree. This pro-gram is unique in that we don�t have a partner. It�s a Towson degree,� Dean Esslinger, the recently retired associate vice president for international programs, said. Jin Gong, dean of the College of G r a d u a t e Studies and R e s e a r c h , worked with Esslinger and the College of Education to establish the pro-gram in 2004. All the students are Shanghai schoolteachers. Towson present-ed degrees to 35 students last year and another 49 students this year. S h a n g h a i teacher Liu Huifang became a Towson grad this summer. She calls the Master�s pro-gram a success. �We all trea-sure the learn-ing process and think of it as a good oppor-tunity for pro-fessional growth, especially [for] teachers who teach English,� she wrote in an e-mail. Students in Shanghai experi-ence the same courses as stu-dents in Towson. They enroll in a 13-month program of 33 credits, with four classes the first sum-mer, three online courses during the year, then four classes the second summer. Instruction is delivered in-person by Towson professors each summer, and online courses are taught using Blackboard. James Lawlor, graduate director for the secondary education depart-ment, has taught in Shanghai for the last three summers. �These Chinese teachers are seeking western credentials, which make them very favored and give them career opportu-nities that just being a teacher of English wouldn�t give them,� Lawlor said. Lijun Jin, an associate profes-sor of elementary education, has taught EDUC 660 (Teaching in a Multicultural Society) in both America and China. The course is the same in both countries, but different components are empha-sized in China. �In Towson, I focus a lot on race, religion and culture,� Jin said, �but over there, race is not an issue, so I focus a lot more on culture� Also, when I teach there, I focus more on gender, socioeconomic status and excep-tionality.� Jin, a native of Shanghai, said issues of gender discrimination and the gap between the rich and the poor are especially pertinent Oct. 2, 2006 www.thetowerlight.com The Towerlight Co-director Heidi Ewing and children�s pastor Becky Fischer discuss new documentary examining evangelical movement and children of the Christian right, �Jesus Camp� Arts, page 15 Monday INSIDE Calendar........3 Perspectives........4 News.......7 Beyond.......11 Arts......15 Puzzles.......18 Classifi eds......19 Sports.......24 on the Published by and for the students of Towson and Baltimore -- twice-weekly Robbery at Valley View; residents uninformed RISING IN THE EAST: Towson�s Chinese connections Photo courtesy Shanghai Center President Robert Caret traveled throughout China in June to create new partnerships. Nearly a year prior, the first Shanghai students received Towson Masters degrees at their graduation. See CHINA, page 11 Krysten Appelbaum Associate News Editor Two people were robbed at gunpoint Friday night while they were parked in the Valley View apartment complex, across the street from Towson University on Cross Campus Drive. Friday�s armed robbery was the clos-est to campus since two suspects entered Tower A in Nov. 2005 and held a resident at gunpoint. The Baltimore County Police Department learned about the crime at Valley View on Saturday, according to the crime alert issued by the University Police. Towson faculty and students received a Crime Alert via e-mail by Sunday afternoon. Both a female and a male suspect approached the two victims at approxi-mately 10:45 p.m. Friday. The male suspect displayed a handgun, and both suspects robbed the victims and then fled the area in a small dark-colored car. TUPD Capt. Joe Herring said one of the See CRIME, page 11 We all treasure the process and as a good opportunity for professional growth... Liu Huifang Shanghai teacher �trea learning pro think of it a Photo illustration by Jenn Long/The Towerlight Photo courtesy Dean Esslinger ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Strengthening Shanghai�s teachers via Towson "
