September 7, 2017

The University of Houston College of Education has contracted with Beijing Normal University – one of China’s top institutions for teacher preparation and policy research – to help create a doctoral program in professional leadership for students abroad.

The articulation agreement, the capstone of three years of collaboration, will create a formal avenue for UH faculty and doctoral students to study and work in China. “The opportunity to work with Beijing Normal University is monumental. Not only does this partnership advance UH’s globalization agenda, it further expands the depth and scope of the College of Education’s scholarly outreach,” said Paula Myrick Short, UHS senior vice chancellor for academic affairs and UH senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Our two universities working together will produce an outstanding educational result and will be one more catalyst in advancing our globalization agenda.”

Beijing Normal University is one of China’s world-renowned universities for teacher education and educational policy research. It is recognized as one of the oldest and most prestigious Chinese universities as well as a key university of the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, especially for preparing K-12 and higher education leaders.

UH currently offers an Executive Ed.D. in Professional Leadership which prepares students for professional and administrative leadership positions in a variety of educational settings. The program at BNU provides UH doctoral students with access to intensive research and applied skills for professionals addressing real-word concerns in education.

The goals of the UH-BNU agreement are to encourage faculty and students to study and work abroad in China. Additionally, it will provide a venue for faculty and students of both universities to better understand the cross-cultural and transnational education system.

“The signing of this agreement is just the beginning for the expansion of global research in educational policy studies,” stated Drs. McPherson and Zou.

“We can expect that this agreement could impact other Asian countries’ educational programs due to being a first of its kind,” said Dr. Ortiz.

The articulation agreement was signed on August 2017 in Beijing with Dr. Robert McPherson, professor and dean of the UH College of Education; Dr. Yali Zou, UH professor and director of Asian American Studies and Asian International Programs; and Dr. Jaime Ortiz, UH vice provost for UH Global, and representatives from Beijing Normal University.

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