| Volume 12, Edition 2: October 2012 | *20 year Anniversary* |
New Kids On The Block: New Mind Joins IPC
New Mind Education is pleased to announce that they have found a new home at the International Programs Center (IPC). Based out of Raleigh, NC, New Mind works to inspire and cultivate global talent by recruiting, supporting, and educating international students. The company's founder and CEO, Michael Chen, a former international student himself, had a vision to establish an organization that would empower and enable international students for long-term success. New Mind believes that simply knowing the language of a country is not enough; a cross-cultural education is essential to succeed in an ever-changing, global society. The mission of New Mind is to help international students succeed by giving them the skills and support they need to become global leaders.
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| New Mind staff and students, from left to right: Terrence Bu, Benson Wang, Tommy Fan, Lauren Hudson (New Mind Lead Advisor), Jack Guo, Lin Sun, Clare Miao, Kyla Qian, Morgan Hudson, Frandasia Williams, Enoch Chow (New Mind Advisor), Li Chao Zheng, Hao Zhang (Advisor/Program Director), and Rex Liang. |
Collaborating with U.S. universities and other educational partners, New Mind developed the University Preparatory Program (UPP) to assist international students who are academically ready for American universities but need a stronger language and cultural foundation to make a smooth transition to their new environment.
At UNCG, New Mind works with IPC’s International Admissions to recruit students who qualify for conditional admission to the university. To improve their language proficiency, New Mind relies on the experience and expertise of INTERLINK and its staff. Complementing their language training, New Mind educates students through its Global Learning Curriculum, which focuses on helping students to gain intercultural competence and assimilate into life in the U.S. Finally, New Mind supports students’ foundational needs through the 360° Total Care™, which includes housing selection, student life development, one-on-one advising, tutoring, and even a parent engagement service to inform parents of their child’s life in the U.S.
The New Mind UNCG team has five members who are passionate about and committed to international education: Program Director, Hao Zhang; Lead Adviser, Lauren Hudson; Adviser, Enoch Chow; and Peer Mentors, Frandasia Williams and Li Chao Zheng.
This past August, New Mind welcomed eight students to its first class of students at UNCG. The New Mind students and staff look forward to continuing our partnership with UNCG. Want to know more? Please contact Hao Zhang at hzhang@newmindedu.com
INTERLINK
Student Activities
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| INTERLINK students at the Civil Rights Museum |
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| Professor George Guo of Guilford College |
During the month of September, INTERLINK students visited Greensboro’s International Civil Rights Center and Museum. The museum is housed at the site of the former Woolworth’s Department Store in the heart of downtown. Students participated in a one-hour tour to learn about the struggle for civil rights across the South and beyond. One student described the experience as “heartbreaking but inspiring.” Other students talked about connections between the civil rights movement and current movements for equality around the world.
Dr. George Guo, Professor of Political Science at Guilford College, hosted a discussion with upper-level INTERLINK students who have spent this term studying the political system of the United States. Dr. Guo’s talk gave students an opportunity to participate in a university-level lecture and discussion on a topic with which they have become somewhat familiar. Accordingly, the exchange was rich and insightful.
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| INTERLINK students listening to flutist Ed Whitfield |
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| Flutist Ed Whitfield |
Ed Whitfield, a world-renowned flutist, recently visited INTERLINK to perform and discuss flute music from around the world. After playing music from the U.S. and from several INTERLINK students’ countries, Mr. Whitfield led a discussion on how music allows people to connect across cultures and languages. Toward the end of the session, some students were inspired to sing their national anthems and favorite songs.
On September 26th, INTERLINK students were given the opportunity to go downtown for an American Dining Experience. Accompanied by program assistant Lamar Gibson, they stopped at a local grille, where they had hamburgers, hot dogs, and grilled cheese. They then went to a dessert shop to taste delicious cookies and pound cake.
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| Lamar Gibson (INTERLINK Program Assistant), Junjue Jiang (China), Xiaocong Wang (China), and Fatimah Alakhrash (Saudi Arabia) |
Fall Terms
INTERLINK’s Fall 1 term came to an end on Thursday, October 11th. Graduating and departing students were recognized at a ceremony beginning at 9:00 that morning at the College Park Baptist Church. Moreover, select students were presented with awards to acknowledge the accomplishments they have made during the past nine weeks. The ceremony is open to the public. If you are interested in attending future ceremonies, please RSVP to Casey Thomas, INTERLINK’s administrative assistant, at thomascm@interlink.edu.
INTERLINK’s Fall 2 term began on Monday, October 15th. The Fall 2 term will run for nine weeks and conclude on Friday, December 14th.
Among the new arrivals, INTERLINK welcomed five Omani students and five Japanese students. The Omani students are participating on a new scholarship program through the Omani government, and they will continue on as UNCG students upon completion of INTERLINK. The five Japanese students will continue on at Disney World in Orlando after their nine-week stay here at UNCG. These students contribute to the diversity initiatives undertaken by INTERLINK and IPC. This term's cohort is the largest to date.
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| Flutist Ed Whitfield |
INTERLINK’s new module program is not the only way that Dayili is preparing for graduate study. He is also auditing a Principles of Marketing class, which allows him to make connections between the papers he writes for his INTERLINK reading/writing class and the UNCG business course. “I see connections between the reflections at INTERLINK, the responses I write in my business class, the community service, and my fraternity. It is all connected. It all helps.” INTERLINK students in upper levels are highly encouraged to audit UNCG courses because doing so gives them firsthand exposure to U.S. classes while extending their language learning through meaningful content.
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