Johnson C. Smith University receives study abroad grant |

The College of Arts and Letters at Johnson C. Smith University (JCSU) has received its largest study abroad grant. The award of nearly $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Education for the program's first two years will fund the Fulbright-Hays Group Projects Abroad: An Advanced and Intensive Training Program in Modern Chinese Language and Culture.

The project is expected to create an advanced and intensive summer Mandarin Chinese language and cultural training program at three universities in Beijing, Xi’an and Guangzhou, China, from 2013 through 2017.

Fifteen students, a K-12 teacher and a student intern will participate in the program offered at China’s Capital Normal University, Shaanxi Normal University and Guangdong Baiyun University. The opportunity will be available to students at Johnson C. Smith University, Queens University and the surrounding universities and colleges in the Charlotte area.

The collaborative effort will be managed by the Smith Institute Center for Excellence in Global Education at JCSU under the direction of Dr. Adelheid Eubanks, who is also the Director of Liberal Education and International Studies, and Dr. Matthew DeForrest, interim chair of the Department of Languages and Literature. Xia Cao, of the Government Sponsored Programs and Research Department, and Xiaosong He, JCSU's professor of Chinese, will provide additional cultural expertise and technical support.

 “We look forward to this unique global opportunity to collaborate with our university partners and Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools,” said Eubanks. “This language emersion experience falls in line with our mission to offer a global education experience to every student.”

Johnson C. Smith University provides students with a free passport and an opportunity to study abroad at 11 countries around the world.