Fujian Normal University Faculty Exchange Program

FNU faculty exchange is designed to foster scholarly and cultural interaction between our universities.

Note: UEC grants cannot be charged to p-cards, but faculty who receive UEC grants will receive information in their grant award letter about the possibility of an advance.

Deadline: Deadline is February 1. FNU is prepared to welcome the exchange fellow at any point during the coming year while school remains in session.

Apply Here

Description

We are pleased to announce the establishment of an exchange agreement between Puget Sound and Fujian Normal University (FNU), a comprehensive institution of some 50,000 students located in the city of Fuzhou on the southeastern coast of China. With generous support from The Trimble Foundation, this exchange agreement will include a faculty exchange program permitting in alternating years a faculty member from each institution to spend 3 to 4 weeks at each other’s campus. Patterned loosely on the successful Passau Exchange Program established nearly three decades ago by Professor David Tinsley, the FNU faculty exchange is designed to foster scholarly and cultural interaction between our universities.

The agreement calls for Puget Sound to provide the first exchange fellow in 2015. The successful applicant will spend up to four weeks in China, with at least three of those weeks in residence at FNU. The exchange fellowship will cover roundtrip airfare for the exchange scholar, research expenses (including translation services where needed), and a stipend of $4000. FNU will provide housing for the exchange scholar and her or his family members and introductions to FNU faculty members sharing the scholar’s teaching and research interests. FNU’s research facilities will also be placed at the candidate's disposal, and s/he is expected to visit classes as appropriate and deliver a formal lecture on a topic of his/her choice during the month.

Fuzhou is a thriving modern city of over 2 million residents located on China’s coast between Shanghai and Hong Kong. The city boasts a storied past, with over two thousand years of history and a rich cultural heritage that includes some of China’s most famous scholars, poets and artists. Although less well known in the West than some of China’s other coastal cities, Fuzhou has always been a cosmopolitan city and center of international commerce. Marco Polo resided here in the 13th century, noting the presence of a substantial community of Nestorian Christians. The Fuzhou Mosque was built in the 7th century and the Hualin Buddhist Temple, said to be China’s oldest wooden structure, dates from the 4th or 5th century. The Chinese maritime explorer Zheng He launched his voyages across the Indian Ocean in the 15th century from this port city.

During the 19th century, Fuzhou became one of the primary sites for Protestant missionary work, including the medical missionary service of Charles Garnet Trimble and the founding of Hwa Nan Women’s College by Lydia Trimble. FNU’s “old” campus in the heart of the city is located on the grounds of the college founded by Lydia Trimble. A second, suburban “new” campus, along with a dozen other universities, are part of a newly-established “University City” located on the outskirts of Fuzhou.

Eligibility

These funds are intended for use by tenure-line faculty members and ongoing instructors whose teaching programs include Asia in a substantive, if not primary way. In keeping with the wishes of the donors, preference will be given to faculty in the Asian Studies Program and to those proposing projects that include study in China or study of Chinese culture and society.

Application

Application for the exchange should be made to the Enrichment Committee. Please send a current C.V. and a letter describing your plans for professionally related activities for the month through the online form.

Deadline

Deadline is February 1. FNU is prepared to welcome the exchange fellow at any point during the coming year while school remains in session.

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