Two dozen Chinese teenagers likely gained more from a two-week visit to Bluffton University than just increased knowledge of English, according to their language teachers.
The students, ages 14-16, were in Bluffton July 23-Aug. 6 as part of a Summer English Camp sponsored by Mennonite Partners in China. They were from the city of Nanchong, China, which has partnered with Bluffton for a series of educational and cultural exchanges.
Single-event tickets are now on sale for the 2013-14 Bluffton University Artist Series, featuring the Golden Dragon Acrobats, pianist Hyperion Knight, the Lima Symphony Orchestra, the band Lone Raven and ventriloquist Lynn Trefzger.
Chay Reigle may speak for three fellow Bluffton University students when he sums up how he spent part of his summer vacation, in Phoenix, Ariz.
“In just a week,” notes the public relations major, “I beefed up my resume; got real-world experience in journalism; worked alongside professors; attended a convention filled with passionate, socially responsible people; and even got to experience the infamous dry heat.”
Bluffton University, which sends students worldwide for cross-cultural experiences each year, is in the unusual position of being a cross-cultural destination this summer.
From July 23-Aug. 6, the university will welcome 24 Chinese students ages 14-16 as they experience the United States through a Summer English Program sponsored by Mennonite Partners in China (MPC).
Bluffton University Research Center grants are helping four Bluffton faculty members pursue scholarly and creative projects in their respective fields this summer.
Recipients of $3,000 stipends and up to $600 for research expenses are Dr. Rudi Kauffman, an assistant professor of restorative justice; Dr. Jonathan Andreas, an assistant professor of economics; Dr. Martina Cucchiara, an assistant professor of history; and Dr. Stephen Harnish, a professor of mathematics.
A two-day jazz camp at Bluffton University will conclude with a concert by participating sixth through eighth graders at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 25, in Yoder Recital Hall. The concert is free and open to the public.
Directing the camp and the concert are Paul Baransy, an adjunct music instructor at Bluffton, and Charles Doepker. The Ottawa residents have extensive experience as jazz performers and teachers, including, most recently, as directors of the Ohio Music Education Association District 3 Junior High Honors Jazz Ensemble.
