Faculty Exchanges

To further Drake’s mission of providing an exceptional learning environment that prepares students for responsible global citizenship, CCEP offers financial and logistical support to substantive interaction between faculty of Drake and Chinese universities.  CCEP does this primarily by supporting short-term visits by Drake faculty to its Chinese partner institutions and visits to Drake’s campus by Chinese faculty through its Faculty Exchange Program. 

By supporting interactions between Drake and Chinese faculty, CCEP strives to be strategic in establishing and deepening long-term institutional relationships between Drake and institutions in China.  The value of such exchange can be seen not only in the added perspective Drake faculty bring to the classroom from having traveled to China and having worked with Chinese faculty and students, but increasingly by bringing Chinese faculty in direct contact with faculty and students here at Drake.  Furthering institutional relationships through faculty exchange is increasingly leading to the collaborative development of curricula that incorporates multiple perspectives and long-term educational opportunities for both Chinese and Drake students through student transfer plans and exchanges.

Financial and logistical support for faculty exchange has proven to be a useful tool in initiating new relationships with Chinese institutions of higher learning, as well as attracting Chinese scholars to Drake’s campus.  By offering short-term visits by Drake faculty while asking little more than accommodations provided by the Chinese institution, CCEP has been able to establish and sustain access to institutions and scholars in China that have resulted in creating the foundation for longer-term collaboration.

Such short-term exchanges can also be a useful tool to turn individual relationships that Drake faculty may already have in China into broader, department or college-wide relationships.  Participating faculty are encouraged to keep an eye out for Chinese faculty with whom they are interested in working further, with the understanding that continued support may be given to bring those faculty members to Drake in the future.  When Chinese faculty are invited to Drake’s campus, CCEP works with the inviting Drake faculty member to make sure that the visiting scholar interacts with as wide a range of Drake faculty and students as possible during their time on campus.  This can be useful in identifying Drake faculty who might then be interested in working further with the visiting Chinese scholar through a return short-term visit.

From 2005 to 2009, CCEP has supported visits by 28 Drake faculty members from each of Drake’s colleges to 13 Chinese universities.  In 2008-2009, CCEP helped support short-term visits by 3 Chinese faculty identified by Drake faculty during their previous exchange experience.  These 3 Chinese scholars conducted on-campus activities with Drake faculty and students in the English and Politics/IR Departments and in the Law School.  For the 2009-2010 academic year, CCEP has helped secure outside funding to bring one full-time visiting professor, who was identified by a Drake faculty exchange participant in 2005, to Drake’s Sociology Department and is currently working with faculty in Drake’s Schools of Education and Journalism/Mass Communications to bring 2 additional Chinese faculty members to Drake to conduct activities with faculty and staff in Spring ’10.

Drake University CCEP works with Drake faculty to invite Chinese scholars with which they are engaged in collaborative research, curriculum development or other academic activity as Visiting Scholars.  CCEP also provides the opportunity to faculty and administrators from Chinese institutions to visit Drake on the Faculty Development Program.  Please see the program descriptions and contact Kirk Martin should you have any questions about either inviting a scholar to Drake from China, or if you are a scholar from China interested in coming to Drake.

Read the BLOGS of Drake faculty's experience in China:
Darcie Vandegrift and Bruce Gilbert

Kirk Martin, Director, kirk.martin@drake.edu, tel: (515) 271-3035