 Dr. Kathy Fejes (Drake School of Education), Ms. Deb Hanus (Superintendent of the Iowa Juvenile Home, Toledo, IA), and Dr. Nancy Wang (Hebei Normal University) |
The first international collaborative program that ties a graduate degree to studies impacting Drake’s commitment to global citizenship is now a reality. The Special Education program in the Drake School of Education is now a partner with Hebei Normal University in Shijiazhuang, China to prepare graduate level professionals in working with students with mild to moderate disabilities. It presents a unique and sustainable model that could be followed by sharing expertise with other international universities, particularly from countries where individuals with disabilities have been marginalized.
Dr. Kathy Fejes, a professor in the School of Education, has coordinated the effort in establishing this degree program along with Kirk Martin of Drake’s Chinese Cultural Exchange Program. Fejes visited Hebei Normal University as a guest lecturer in 2009. Dr. Nancy Wang, a psychology professor at Hebei Normal University, visited Drake and local school districts in September 2010 as part of the development team for the new special education collaborative program.
See the back cover of the latest issue of Drake blue for more information on this effort to promote cultural understanding.